Chapter 8

Hades

She was in the demon realm.

Since I’d heard about Persephone’s arrival, I’d been edgy and fighting the urge to go to her. I’d been doing my best to keep busy, spending too many hours in the prisons.

“Why are you sitting around here when your witch is at Lucifer’s home?” Rainer asked as he sat across from me in the interrogation room where I was working on paperwork.

My eyes narrowed when they landed on Rainer. “Why are you here when your witch is sitting at home alone?” It was a low blow. Rainer’s witch had rejected him after they’d bonded. Bringing her up was a total asshole move, but I’m an asshole.

“Do you ever get tired of trying to be the biggest bastard in the room?” Rainer asked, seeming unaffected by my attempt to piss him off.

“Nope,” I replied honestly. “Ever get tired of being a nosy pain in the ass?”

Rather than responding to my insult, Rainer asked a question of his own. “Why are you avoiding Persephone? We all figured you’d make an abduction attempt as soon as her arm healed.”

Persephone had been injured helping Beatrice fight off a dangerous demon and Bea’s crazed warlock brother. It still pissed me off to think that someone had hurt her. “I’m surprised you all expected me to wait that long,” I muttered.

“We all saw how worried you were about her.” Rainer looked thoughtful. “You love her.”

“Bullshit,” I spat out. “If I was in love with her, I’d have carried her off to my lair to end my curse.”

“Lair?” Rainer asked with a laugh.

“You get my point,” I told him. “I hardly know Persephone. It’s far too soon to say I love her.” Of course, I knew her better than any of the women I’d kidnapped in the past.

“You’re lying,” Rainer accused. “I’m not sure if you’re also lying to yourself.”

“What am I lying about?” I asked. It should have been obvious I was avoiding everyone. There was a comfortable office where I could have done paperwork. I could have left my paperwork for someone else, like I usually did. Instead, I’d chosen to sequester myself in an interrogation room that hadn’t been cleaned since its last use. The dried blood on the walls didn’t bother me, but the rancid smelling severed finger that had been on the floor when I’d arrived had been too much for even me. I’d needed to clear that out and spray the room with air freshener before I got started. I’d also chosen the room with the least foot traffic near it. Rainer must have gone to great lengths to track me down.

“Why are you avoiding her?” he asked.

I tilted my head back and stared up at the ceiling as I asked, “What if she’s not the one?” I looked at him, waiting for his response.

Rainer nodded his understanding. “Now, I see what’s really bothering you. If she’s the one, then all’s good, but you’re not sure. You also like her and want her to be the one.”

I scoffed at his words.

“She obviously likes you,” Rainer added.

“The woman is insane,” I said with a humorless bark of laughter.

“Making her the perfect woman for you,” Rainer teased. “Her upbeat personality is good for you. You’ve been much less gloomy since you met her, and you’ve even tried to look less like a crazed fallen angel about to go on a rampage.”

“I am less likely to go on a rampage. It’s still a possibility, but Persephone has changed me some. I want her to be the one.” The last was said quietly.

“There’s only one way to find out if she’s the one who’ll break your curse.” I didn’t need Rainer’s reminder. “What good is it doing to delay finding out?”

I decided to admit my fears out loud for the first time. “If she’s not the one, I’m not sure what I’ll do. Before I met her, it didn’t matter. Each day, I slipped deeper into madness, and I didn’t mind. It was almost a relief to lose touch with reality. There were days I dreamt of Lucifer using his blade to destroy my soul. That seemed like the only end to my misery.”

“Considering how fucked up your reality was, I don’t blame you for feeling that way,” Rainer remarked. “Still, I don’t see why this is so difficult. If you love her, she’s the one.”

“I believe I love her,” I confessed. “It’s hard to say. Love isn’t something I’m familiar with. I care a great deal for her, and I want to keep her safe, even from myself.” That was the other problem I had with going after Persephone. I was dangerous, sadistic, and cruel. How could I ever hope to be the kind of man she’d fall in love with?

Rainer nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. “You had better figure this out soon. Something tells me Persephone isn’t the type to wait around for you.”

“Are you saying she’ll start seeing other men?” I asked, my voice sounding more like a growl.

Rainer laughed at my reaction. “It’s possible, but that’s not what I meant. If you don’t go to her, Persephone will eventually track you down. She’s a very determined witch.”

The bigger part of me hoped she would track me down, even knowing she’d be better off avoiding me.