Chapter 43

Lucifer

Hades hadn’t spoken one word to me on the walk to the detention area. This wasn’t like him. He’d had a strong reaction to Persephone without even knowing her name. I couldn’t believe he still hadn’t asked me who she was. Granted, his curse strongly affected his interest in women. He still gave in to the temptation to take a woman on occasion, but it always ended in frustration.

“Tell me what you’ve got,” I finally said to break the silence.

“First, tell me who she is,” Hades demanded, turning to face me.

“Beatrice’s friend,” I replied. “We brought her here to keep her safe from her brother.”

Hades nodded. “She’s beautiful.”

“And as curious as a cat,” I added. “Unless you want to answer her many questions, I’d avoid her, at least, until she gets settled in.”

His lips twitched. “You don’t think I can handle her asking me a bunch of questions, do you?”

“You aren’t the most patient man,” I reminded him.

“And you aren’t the most honest man,” he accused.

“I’ve never claimed to be honest,” I reminded him. “Neither of us is going to be nominated for sainthood. What is it you’re getting at?”

Hades was pissing me off. I didn’t have time to deal with his cryptic questions. His reaction to Persephone had shocked him. He wanted to know her name, yet he was likely afraid to hear her name. I wasn’t the loving and comforting type with most, my cousin included, but I felt a strange desire to offer him some support.

“Why haven’t you asked me?” I asked.

My question caught him off-guard. There were several beats of silence before he responded. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Stop playing games with me,” I snapped. “We have work to do, so ask me.”

“If you already know what I’m going to ask, then why not just tell me the answer?” he spat out.

“Fine,” I relented. “Yes, she is. She’s also under my protection, and you are to stay away from her.”

Logic told me it was a mistake to tell Hades Persephone’s true identity. His past suggested he’d react poorly, but I could also see that Persephone was different from the others. I suspected Hades might have finally found the woman to break his curse.

“She could be the one,” he hissed. “You’re going to keep her from me, knowing she could end my curse?”

“Not forever,” I assured him. “I promised Beatrice her friend would be safe here.”

“I won’t hurt her,” he argued.

“You’ve hurt all the others,” I reminded him.

There’d been a time when that would have brought some level of shame to my cousin. He’d lost a lot of compassion over the centuries. “I’ll agree to wait until we find the annoying little gnat of a warlock,” he relented. “I’m only agreeing to wait because fighting with you will make it harder for me.”

“Whatever your reasons are, I appreciate you waiting,” I told him.

“I don’t want to hurt her,” he whispered before looking at me. Hades seemed confused by his own words. “Why do you suppose that is?”

I shrugged. “Possibly for the same reason I don’t want to hurt Beatrice.”

“You think I’m turning into a pussy?” he asked.

I laughed at his question. “You’re an asshole.”

“That’s what everyone says,” he agreed, before repeating, “Why do you think I don’t want to hurt her?”

“Because you’re tired of being alone,” I replied. “You felt a connection to her, and you want to explore that more.”

He blew out a frustrated breath. “We’re interrogating two demons who may have been involved in the escape.”

Hades obviously didn’t want to discuss Persephone anymore.

“How certain are you of their involvement?” I asked.

“One confessed as soon as I approached him,” Hades replied. “The other ran when he saw me coming.”

“Did he know you were looking for him when he ran?” I asked.

Hades nodded. “The bastard could be afraid he’ll be found guilty by association.”

“How’s he related to all this?” I asked.

“He’s an old lover of Zareya’s,” Hades explained. “I’m not sure if they’ve had any contact since they were both imprisoned. He seems to have cleaned up his act and stayed out of trouble. I heard he’s hoping to get a transfer to a nicer detention area.”

“It’s strange that he’s stayed alive and out of trouble in this detention area,” I mused.

“He probably had an easier time than most staying out of trouble,” Hades said with a laugh. “I decided we should interview him first.”

When we walked into the room with the small cell against the far wall, I understood why Hades thought this demon would have an easy time staying out of trouble in the detention area—if he wanted to stay out of trouble, that is. This variety of demon weighed more than half a ton and stood nearly eight feet tall. With a sharp spike on each knuckle, he wouldn’t have any trouble winning a fight with most demons. His kind was also known for being merciless in battle. Despite their frightening appearance, these demons tended to be harmless unless threatened. As with any species, there were some bad seeds.

“I didn’t help them escape,” he said as soon as I shut the door behind me.

“But you know something about how they escaped,” I guessed.

He hesitated.

“The last thing you want to do is piss us off by protecting your ex-lover,” Hades warned.

“Zareya was never my lover,” he spat out. “She was a bitch who manipulated me with promises of sex. She convinced me her rebellion was for the greater good. I was young and stupid, so I followed her.”

I was beginning to doubt we’d get much information from this demon.

“My sources tell me Zareya visited you two days ago,” Hades told him.

The demon nodded. “She wanted me to kill a snitch.”

I didn’t bother asking why he hadn’t reported her request. That sort of thing wasn’t uncommon, and a demon trying to keep to himself wouldn’t want to be labeled a snitch, no matter how scary he was.

“Did you kill the informant?” Hades asked.

“No. I didn’t even know he was dead until today,” he replied. “I swear I didn’t think she’d actually escape. She’s been trying for decades. I figured this was another one of her crazy plots that she wouldn’t follow through with.”

“Do you know anything about her involvement with the other recent uprisings?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I’ve been trying to avoid the gossip. I want out of this prison, so I’m staying out of everyone’s business.”

“Do you want out enough to ignore a rebellion in hopes you’ll be freed if they succeed?” Hades asked.

His response was a humorless bark of laughter.

“You find that amusing?” Hades demanded.

“Freedom?” the demon scoffed. “I’m not stupid enough to dream of freedom. I just want a transfer to a different prison. Zareya hates me. She blames me for her getting caught. If she could have managed it, she would have killed me decades ago. If Zareya succeeded in one of her crazy rebellion attempts, I’d be dead within a week.”

I nodded. “I’ll have someone take you back to the detention area soon. If I find out you’ve lied to me, our next conversation will be very unpleasant for you.”

To emphasize my point, I allowed my magic to flow along the bars of the cell. Blue flames surrounded the demon, lapping at his skin.

“I’m not lying,” the demon promised as he tried to avoid the blue fire moving around him.

With a nod, I pulled my power back in and the blue flames faded away as I left the room.