Page 18 of Hades

“Lucky dog,” I praise him as I rub his head. “Protect her with your life if you have to,” I instruct. He gives my hand a nudge with his snout. “Good boy.”

Turning, I head back into the living room of her small suite to deal with Alastor. I still have so many questions, most of which he probably won’t be able to answer any better than I can. The only one who can honestly give us the answers we both seek would be Themis herself. But then she would know that whatever magic she used was wearing thin.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” I ask, trying my best to keep my voice at a reasonable level so I don’t wake Aradia.

“Me? You’re the one who stood her up,” he fires back.

“I didn’t stand her up. I took your advice and left her alone. But then I walk into the restaurant, and she’s hunched over in pain. What the fuck were you doing?”

Without thinking, I smack my hand across his head like I’ve done so many times before in another life, although he isn’t her younger brother who’s barely a man, now he rivals me in height and strength. He takes a defensive stance momentarily, ready to throw down with me. He has always protected her, so I have consistently treated him as my brother. But seeing her in pain without reason brought out my primal side.

“I repeat, what the fuck were you thinking?” I say as I flop down on the couch. Alastor sits across from me, looking as exhausted as I feel. The adjoining space to Aradia’s bedroom is small, with only a couch, chair, small table, and a TV mounted to the wall. But with the two of us in it, it seems even smaller.

“She ran into me, literally, when she got off the elevator. I must have freaked her out because she made up some story about meeting some friends for dinner.”

“She’s smart.” I smile. “How did the shifter, Kat, come into the picture?”

Alastor laughs, shaking his head. “I think Arie just saw her sitting there and waved her down like they were old friends. Kat just played along until she saw me following her.”

I make a mental note to thank the shifter. She had no idea who Aradia was, but she made her feel safe, and that goes a long way in my book.

“Anyway, Arie kept asking me if we had met before. I think somewhere in her mind, she remembers. The headache is a good thing. I had the most debilitating headaches for a few weeks before I woke up with my memories.”

I don’t want his words to give me hope. I’ve had hope before, and it nearly destroyed me. “So now what?” I ask, though I already know the answer.

“We wait.”

His words still hit me like a punch to the gut, despite knowing that would be his answer. “I’m not going to be able to do that. I’m drawn to her whenever I step onto this plane of existence. It’s why I’ve stayed away so long. I think I’m at my breaking point,” I add as I run my hands through my hair in frustration.

Truth be told, I want to rip my hair out. Having Aradia this close to me is like tempting an addict with their drug of choice. My skin is practically crawling with the need for her. Yet there is nothing I can do to satiate it. If I bide my time, it never ends well.

The two of us sit in an almost uncomfortable silence, neither wanting to leave Aradia alone. I’m just about to nod off when I hear the door to her bedroom open. Aradia stands there with Argos by her side, looking back and forth between Alastor and me.

With one swift movement, I stand before her before she can breathe her next breath. “How are you? How’s your head? Do you need anything?” I shoot off questions one after the other. She has a look of confusion on her beautiful face, and I want to pull her into my chest and tell her everything will be okay.

But I know the truth. It won’t be, at least not for us.

“I…” She pauses and looks at Alastor. “You called me Arie?” she whispers.

“Yes.” Alastor nods before getting up and coming closer. He moves slowly as if he were a lion assessing his prey. I know he would never harm her, but it doesn’t stop me from taking a protective step in front of him.

“No one has ever called me Arie except in my dreams,” she replies as she peeks around my body to address him. I can see the familiar, inquisitive look in her eyes. It’s the same one that told me I would be in trouble for something I had done or said. I wait patiently for her to continue because I know she will. “Who are you, and why do you seem so familiar?”

Alastor looks to me as if I might have the answer, which I certainly do not. In all the centuries that have passed, Aradia and I have had only moments of happiness before the memories are stripped from her. Each time she takes another piece of my heart with her. Eventually, nothing will be left.

I give him a shrug, mainly because I don’t know what to tell her. What will do her more harm than good? Finding out that she has a brother, that her mother is the goddess of Justice that cursed us just for being in love, or that her father, the god of War, did nothing to stop her. And then there’s me, the man who loves her, ruler of the Underworld. I can’t help but chuckle out loud at the thought of her reaction.

Regardless of the answer we give her, I do not doubt that she will think we are both insane. And neither of us could blame her for that.

“What are you laughing at?” Aradia snaps. “Don’t think for one second that you’re off the hook,” she continues while pointing her slender finger at me. I must stifle my smile because she is too cute, standing her ground to Alastor and me. If she only knew how many times she had done just that, causing both of us to back down. We may tower over her, but we are helpless against her.

Aradia squints her eyes and rubs her temples as if the headache from earlier is returning.

“You should sit,” Alastor and I say in unison, and for once, she listens. Argos follows her to the couch and jumps up next to her once she’s seated. I do not doubt his loyalty to her safety. He would rip apart anyone who would do her harm.

“Is your head hurting again?” I ask as I kneel in front of her. Without thinking, I put my hands over hers. It’s like a bolt of electricity flowing through me from where our skin is touching. I know she feels it too. When she looks up at me, her big green eyes widen in shock.

All I can do is smile back at her. “Hey,” I mutter, not knowing what else to say.

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