Devil's Debt: A Hades and Persephone Retelling by KT Strange

Author:KT Strange [Strange, KT]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heartcandies Publishing
Published: 2024-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

13

Hadrion

She is a vision. She is perfect, a refraction of light, taking what is given to her and returning it to the world a million times over. Katy, in my arms, as I lead her across the floor, is a creature of the moon, the sun, the stars, and I cannot help myself from stealing her away.

“Come,” I murmur, and the crowd parts like a sea for me as I lead her through. “We have guests, and we must greet them.”

Katy’s fingers curl tighter into my arm, and her face is pale, but her jaw is set. I’m proud of her for not caving to the fear that must be racing through her veins. She has no idea that the surrounding people are not all human, that there are fae in every corner, demons lurking behind masks, that my horns are no costume and completely real.

It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I am proud of her, and I will make sure that she knows it. She is my greatest triumph, and with her at my side it will signal to every demi-god in the city and beyond that Hades is stepping back into his power, that he has claimed his prize, and that he will retake his throne.

They don’t need to know that I don’t have her, not completely, not yet. They will see the key, feel the vibration of its power, and know that nothing is going to stand in the way of me reclaiming my kingdom and having my revenge on the ones who betrayed me.

My fingers flex, and I glance over at her, her hair glinting in the soft lights, the way her eyelashes flutter behind her mask, the way she clings to me, like a moth to the moon.

“We’ll make the rounds,” I murmur to her, and she nods, swallowing hard. “You’re fine,” I assure her.

“I’m not, but I’ll have to be,” she murmurs back, her voice soft.

“It won’t be like this every night,” I assure her. If it were in my court, in the real Underworld, and not my club, it would be. But I have never taken a queen before, and I’m not going to start now. This is temporary, but it’s not like she can’t enjoy it for what it is. Every flower deserves its moment in the sun before it fades, its seeds scattered to the wind.

“Thank you,” she says, her words quiet, and I don’t respond, because a part of me is angry at her. She shouldn’t be thanking me. I don’t deserve her gratitude. She has no idea what I am taking from her yet. One day, but not now.

“Hadrion,” a low-murmured greeting of a passing demon comes with a wink and a nod, a knowing look at the woman on my arm. He knows what it means. “Long live the king,” he barely whispers to me as he walks on by, and I nod in return. Yes, let them all know. Let them all see my power reflect in the aura that she gives off.

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