Page 23 of Hades

“You’re not crazy. You’re not crazy,”I repeat to myself.

“Aradia!” Kat yells again. This time I stop and turn back to look in her direction. She’s still over by the bench, but no longer alone. Standing with her is a tall, handsome man with two pups at his feet and two toddlers. If I had to guess, I would say that perhaps it was her husband, Cain. My assumption is confirmed when he places an arm around her and kisses the top of her head. She talks to him briefly before heading to me, the two pups following her, nipping at each other.

“I’m sorry,” I blurt out.

“Don’t be. I was trying to figure out how to answer your question, not avoiding it.” She must notice the confused look on my face. Bending down, she picks up one of the pups. The animal is beautiful, with fur as bright as snow and emerald-green eyes that rival my own. “This little ball of mischief is Zoe.” Kat pauses as she nuzzles the pup’s head. “My daughter, and that little guy,” she adds, pointing to the gray pup chasing a butterfly through the grass, “is our son, Zane.”

It takes a few minutes for what she’s saying to sink in. “You’re their mother?” I ask, although she’s already confirmed it by their introduction.

“I am.” Kat waves, and a moment later, we are joined by the tall, handsome man carrying two toddlers. “This is my husband, Cain, and our other two children, our daughter, Awan, and our son, Axzel.”

The two toddlers hold an uncanny resemblance to their father, and if it weren’t for their brightly colored eyes and sun-kissed skin. I might say they were albino with their white hair poking out from their tiny hats.

“Are you a shifter too?” I ask Cain in a low whisper.

“No, I’m…”

Kat grabs my arm and pulls me back before he can finish whatever he was about to say. “I think Aradia has had enough surprises for one day,” she chastises him. “Why don’t you take the As, and I’ll take the Zs, and we’ll meet upstairs in a half hour for breakfast?”

“Nice to meet you, Aradia,” Cain says with a smile before heading back the way he came.

“So, you really are a shifter?” I ask again. “How is that… I’m so confused,” I admit.

Kat gives me a long sigh before swinging her arm over my shoulder. “It’s a whole new world, my friend.” She whistles for Argos, who comes running to her side. “Come on, let’s go have some breakfast and talk.”

My mind is reeling with many questions as we return to the hotel. I’m beginning to wonder if this is one of my dreams, and I’m due to wake up at any moment. No one seems to care that Argos is following us into the restaurant. That alone should be a red flag. Dogs that don’t have a “Support Animal” vest on aren’t usually welcome in most places, regardless of how animal-friendly they are.

“Should I bring him upstairs?” I ask because even the most pet-friendly hotel has limits on where they can go.

“No, he’s fine here. We’re going to the private section anyway,” she informs me, and I follow beside her.

When we enter the“private section”,I’m surprised at the amount of people seated, having breakfast. “It doesn’t look too private,” I whisper, and she smiles.

“It’s private for people like us,” she says, and I’m not quite sure what she means.

“Us… as in shifters?” I ask, keeping my voice down.

“Not exactly.”

She spots her husband and their… children seated at a table on the patio area, and we head toward them. Cain stands as we approach, and I stop dead as I take him in. He no longer looks as he did in the dog park, at least not entirely. His hair is now the same snow white as their children’s, but the most evident change is the set of horns adorning his head, which he shares with their two children who aren’t in wolf form.

I’m unable to move, not out of fear but out of remembrance.

Kat smiles and kisses her husband and then her kids. I take a moment to look around the private area, suddenly realizing what she meant. These people aren’t shifters but aren’t human, either.

“Why would you trust me to be here?” I ask, but something deep inside of me knows I belong here.

“Alastor,” she replies, as if that should clear up any confusion. “I texted him last night to make sure you were okay. He explained your situation to me. More or less,” she adds.

“My situation? I wasn’t aware I had a situation, at least not one that would put me here,” I clarify because I have many situations, just nothing to explain this.

Pulling out an empty chair, Kat offers me a seat, which I take, and Argos lays at my feet. He doesn’t seem to be concerned with the odd things going on around us. This reminds me that the bouncer from yesterday referred to him as a Hellhound. So maybe we do belong here, if I’m genuinely walking around with a dog from Hell.

“I’m not sure what to make of all this. But thank you for trusting me,” I admit because I can’t imagine that its every day someone finds out there are shifters, and I glance over at Cain, whatever the heck he is. “So, is Hades actually… Hades?” I ask, my mind trying to grasp the situation. “And Alastor is? What is he?”

“You didn’t think this through, did you?” Cain says to his wife, and I can’t help but laugh. Their interaction seems so normal, yet he clearly has horns, so nothing about this isnormal.

“It’s fine, I’ve always suspected I was different. I’m just not sure how I fit in here either.”

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