Zerina lifted her eyes as she sleepily rolled over, greeted by Jinx’s grim expression. Sitting up in bed, she looked around the room, seeing she was back in her room and Hades was nowhere in sight.

“He’s not here.” She awkwardly tugged her sheet up to cover her breasts.

Jinx looked away as Zerina went into her bathing room. Taking a quick bath, she dressed herself before reentering to the room.

Jinx’s eyes went to the necklace that lay just above the swell of her breasts. “That gown matches the necklace.”

Zerina flushed. “Hades gave it to me last night. Do you like it?”

Jinx avoided her gaze. “It’s beautiful, but he wouldn’t have given it to you if it wasn’t. Hades collects beautiful things.”

Her euphoria of the night before was slowly dissipating after waking up alone. And with the miserable way Jinx was watching her, dread was slowly beginning to steal into her, making her wish she had dressed in her jeans and sweater.

She went to her bed, staring at the fairy. “Jinx, please tell me what’s wrong.”

“When I told you to make friends with Hades, I didn’t expect you to fall in love with him.”

She felt a tide of red flush her cheeks. “I didn’t, either.”

“He doesn’t love you.”

“I know. He never said he did.”

“Did Hades tell you that he has concubines?”

Zerina took a step back. “No, he doesn’t. He summons one woman at a time.”

Jinx shook her head. “He may only summon one at time from Mother’s court, but there are many goddesses who aren’t allowed at court. Some of them have made their home here.”

Zerina winced as if she had been struck. “How many?”

“Twelve, but he has nearly a hundred he beckons. All he has to do is call them from their portraits.”

“Their portraits?” Zerina’s eyes flew to the walls in her room, seeing the beautiful women staring gloatingly back at her.

Her hand went to her racing heart. “It can’t be true.” She stepped back when Jinx got off her bed to try to touch her.

“It’s true. I swear. I should have told you, but I was afraid to. Hades warned me not to discuss anything about him. And I didn’t want to leave you here alone. I’m sorry.”

Her sympathy came too late. She had already let Hades make love to her. Fuck her, she corrected herself.

Unable to bear the sight of the portraits staring at her, she went to her door, staggering as her long gown nearly tripped her.

Jinx followed silently, making no attempt to touch her again.

Going into the hallway, the line of portraits seemed unending as their mocking faces swam before her tear-drenched eyes.

She had only made three stumbling steps when Hades appeared.

“Zerina …”

She fell against a wall then forced herself to straighten, unable to bear being so close to a portrait.

It took her a couple of tries to get out the question that she wanted answered. “Where do you keep them, Hades?”

His impassive gaze went behind her to the doors along the hallway.

“You put me in the same hall you keep your concubines?”

“Yes.” The bronze of his skin paled.

Dismayed, she looked at the rows of portraits along the hallway, remembering the ones in her room, and Jinx’s, and in the entryway, the game room—every room in the castle except his office. She noticed each beautiful portrait had something in common besides their beauty.

Her hand went to her jeweled necklace. Gripping it, she ripped it from her neck and threw it at Hades.

“You monster!”

Sobbing, she then walked down the hallway toward him. Hades didn’t move, though his eyes flashed a warning that she better not strike him.

“I’m leaving, with or without your help,” she told Jinx before contemptuously walking down the hall, passing Hades and making sure no part of her touched him.

* * *

Hades remained impassive as Zerina went down the steps, trying not to wince at the sound of her sobs that could be heard drifting behind her.

“You hurt her,” Jinx accused, her short hair spiking in anger.

“I never offered Zerina anything but friendship.”

“If that’s how you treat your friends, I’ll pass.” Jinx started to go after Zerina.

“If you try to help her escape, I’ll—”

“I’m finished listening to your threats, Hades. I betrayed Zerina because I was afraid. I made a terrible mistake, and she’ll never forgive me, just as she’ll never forgive you.”

“I’m not asking for either of your forgiveness. My will down here is absolute. You’ll both do as I want, regardless of what you both want.”

Jinx stared at him with pity. “Mother sent you down here without a heart. No one who has a heart could have treated Zerina that way.”

“She’s a woman.” Hades gestured to the portraits that lined the hallway. “She will learn that I won’t be manipulated by her wants and feelings.”

“As you were by Persephone?” Jinx hissed in disgust. “You think you were the first god who was manipulated by that bitch? I watched her have Zeus panting after her in Mother’s court. Why is it that men, whether god or human, chase after self-serving bitches, and then are surprised when they are unfaithful?”

“Women are all the same. I should know.”

“You know nothing!” Jinx laughed mockingly. “That you think Zerina is the same as Persephone, or any of these sluts, you couldn’t be more wrong.”

Hades watched as Jinx took a deep breath before she asked, “Do you know why the Moirai dress in such revealing gowns?”

Hades shrugged. “Their gowns are no more revealing than any other goddesses’.”

Jinx gaped at him. “Mother help me!” she pleaded in frustration. “Fate, Destiny, Cara, Broni, and Zerina are royalty! Their gowns show that their souls are pure. They are unable to hide what is inside of them. That’s why Odin and Rocque have been unsuccessfully wooing them to their beds, just as you would have been if Zerina had known about your concubines.

“Zerina, Broni, and Cara’s souls don’t know how to deny their hearts. I told Zerina to develop a friendship with you so we could get the hell out of here. How long did it last before she lost her heart to you? I know for damn sure you know. Despite your lie to the contrary, you never stopped reading her mind. She’s an open book. You had no need to lie to her, except for your own gratification.” Jinx’s shoulders slumped. “And I enabled you by not telling her, so I’m just as guilty.” Jinx left him standing alone in the hall, walking away in a huff.

He waved his hand, returning to his office. Going to the fireplace to stare down into the flames, he didn’t look up at the door when Grimm entered to stand behind him.

“Do you want me to retrieve her?”

“No, she’ll get tired and return to her room.”

In his mind, Hades saw Zerina walking through the levels that he had forbidden her from going. He used the flames to direct her from the areas it wasn’t safe to enter. She thought he was a monster, but the wrong door could introduce her to monsters much worse than him.

He could hear her sobs and Jinx trying to talk to her, which she ignored.

The fairy was right; he had left his heart behind with Mother. No male would be able to endure watching the tears course down the beautiful Moirai’s face and not feel a twinge of regret.

Zerina’s heart would mend. Her despair would pass, and then she would miss what he could give her. If not, when Mother told him it was safe, he would send her home.

It wasn’t like he expected her love to last, anyway. She should have learned that from her parents. Their love hadn’t lasted, if it even was love, which he doubted. Odin had loved Fate for millennia, yet both were too determined not to trust the other.

He had cared about Persephone. Weary of being alone, she had filled a need to keep him sane, to keep the demon within him from taking over. He had seen the demon within her, but he had ignored it, hoping against hope that he could stop it from controlling her, the way she had held back his monster.

It had taken centuries for him to conclude no one could hold the monster within him back. That was why he had given Persephone the last ultimatum, and then divorced her when she had bedded Zeus again. He had grown weary of fighting her inner demon. Having enough demons to deal with in his dungeons, he didn’t need one in his bedroom.

Hades waved Grimm away, wanting to be alone.

He stared around the empty room after Grimm left, his eyes encompassing the starkness of, not only the room, but his existence. Zerina had filled that void for a small time, just as Persephone and countless other women had done.

Reaching into his suit pocket, he pulled out the necklace Zerina had thrown back at him. Sensing the warmth she had instilled in it during the small amount of time she had worn it, he let it disintegrate in his hand.

Jewels and metals were cheap commodities to him. Mother had bestowed the wealth of the earth on him when she had sent him to live his eternal life.

He had made several demands before agreeing to leave the light. She had agreed never to interfere in what took place in his domain—what entered Hades, remained his—and not to demand his interference in petty wars that were fought between the gods. He would remain neutral, as he would when the humans fought. Plus, whether human or immortal, she wouldn’t reveal his entrance. Mother had agreed, and he had remained neutral for centuries.

Zeus and Dionysus already had him expanding his kingdom, making room for the thousands of human souls who were causalities of their betrayal.

He had granted Mother’s request to keep Zerina until they could be found and dealt with by Mother’s justice. Now, he wanted to find Zeus and Dionysus, and get Zerina the hell out of his domain.

Waving his hand, a jug of wine appeared in front of him with a goblet. Pouring himself a goblet of the ruby-red wine, he downed it in one gulp, hoping it would silence his guilty conscience.

He had allowed Mother to give sanctuary to the lovely child he had remembered from the balcony, never expecting the beautiful goddess she had become to wreak havoc on his heart that was filled with stone.

Pouring himself another goblet of wine, instead of raising it to his lips, he raised it up high, toasting Mother before drinking the wine, which did little to alleviate the aching coldness that not even the fire of Hell could warm.