“You were meant to, Hades,” Levi calls back, a brief grin peeking through before he blanks his expression.
I turn wide eyes to Levi. “Your brother is Hades?TheHades?”
CHAPTER 7
IZZY
Levi gives me a sharp nod before he strides into the room. I have to jog to keep up with him. It’s a complete injustice that the universe gave all of my mates such long legs, making me look like a hobbit in comparison.
Sweeping my gaze around the room, I idly note the grand Corinthian columns made out of obsidian and amethyst, the reflective black floor with a crest of white marble, and the uniformed guards clad in black and purple armor before I stare at the throne in the center. It looks like it’s made out of a blackened, gnarled old tree.
The man standing in front of the throne has electric blue hair streaked with navy that’s cut short and styled in spikes. Like Levi, the man has pitch-black eyes with a red ring around the pupil. He’s somehow even more muscular than Levi but probably an inch or so shorter.
Who I presume to be Levi’s brother is wearing black suit pants, black dress shoes, and an untucked bloodred button-down with the top four or five buttons undone. One of his hands is shoved in his pocket as he watches us approach with a sharp gaze.
We come to a stop a few feet from the towering throne. Hades slowly descends the steps leading to throne, all the while looking us over. He finds us lacking, if the unimpressed look on his face is anything to go by. Cocking a brow at Levi, Hades tsks. “I could’ve sworn I told you to stop bringing home strays, brother.” While his voice is light, there’s an undercurrent of danger that would make any sensible person wary of provoking him.
I’m clearly not a sensible person, because him calling my matesstraysraises my hackles. “Well, I thought the infamous Hades would’ve been taller and buffer, but we can’t be right all the time, now, can we?”
“Jesus fucking Christ, Isabel,” Bishop hisses from behind me. “Would it kill you not to antagonize him?”
I don’t get a chance to respond to Bishop and defend my non-antagonistic honor, because Hades turns his piercing gaze—that’s now more red than black—on me. Hades stares at me for a long moment, his emotionless expression giving nothing away. My magic simmers just below the surface, ready to defend my mates and myself if needed.
As my hair starts floating around my shoulders from my magic ramping up, Hades tips back his head and lets out a loud laugh. His mirth echoes in the otherwise silent throne room as I gape at him. It takes him a full thirty seconds to get his laughter under control. When he looks back down at me, he wipes tears from his eyes. “I like you, earth mutt. Have we met before? You look incredibly familiar.”
“I… can’t say the same about you. And not that I know of.” Maybe if he didn’t call me amuttand my matesstrays, I might have a more favorable opinion of him. I’m also pretty sure I’d remember if I’d met Hades before.
“Fucking hell, Izzy,” Bishop mutters behind me. I don’t know why he’s surprised at this point. I’m always like this.
“Oh, don’t you worry your little blonde head, earthling. I’ll grow on you, like an invasive, parasitic fungus. It’ll be great. You’ll see.” Hades flashes me a slightly deranged smile before turning to his brother. “Care to share why you brought the amusing earth dweller and her companions?”
I turn around to Bishop to give him my bestI told you solook. I wasn’t antagonizing Hades. I was clearly just breaking the ice with him. As such, I was absolutely not terrified that he was going to kill us all. I had everything under control, like I usually do.
When I glance at Bishop, I also see Luca looking exasperated next to him. Archer is amused, while Cain warily watches everyone around us.
Levi sighs at his brother, much like he does at Archer and me. “I brought them because Izzy’s my mate, Hades. Those are her other mates. Luca, Archer, and Cain are wolf shifters, and Bishop is a mage. So, tone down your personality and pretend to be likable for a little while.”
Hades freezes and looks between his brother and me with wide eyes. “Mate?” he croaks. “You’re sure?”
“I’m positive.” Levi pulls me into his side before kissing the top of my head.
At Levi’s confirmation, Hades bounds over to me with a huge, genuine smile that’s honestly a little terrifying. When he reaches me, he pulls me away from Levi and wraps me up in a hug that lifts me off my feet. With how he’s hugging me, my arms are trapped. I can’t do anything other than uncomfortably dangle in his embrace.
Eventually, he puts me down and pulls his brother into one of those bro hugs. They clasp hands before hugging and patting each other on the back. “I’m so fucking thrilled for you, Leviathan. All I’ve wanted was for you to be happy. It’s killed me to see you alone all these years.” Hades’s raspy voice soundsalmost choked up as he steps back from his brother. He bends down to put his gaze level with mine. “I’m sorry if I scared you earlier, little earth dweller.”
I snort at the big, bad ruler of this plane trying to make himself seem less threatening. It doesn’t work. “It’ll take a hell of a lot more than you to scare me. And I’m not little.” I resist the urge to stomp my foot at being called small, yet again. I’m average size. Everyone else is just abnormally huge.
While I might’ve been worried about Hades trying to kill me for being a sarcastic asshole, it doesn’t compare to the complete and utter terror of hearing that the council knows about me. After almost getting arrested today, everything else I’ve ever been scared of pales in comparison.
Hades unfolds back to his full height and tilts his head curiously at me. “What does scare you?”
I don’t know why I decide to be honest with him, but I share my worst fear. “Losing the people I care about.”
There’s vulnerability on his face for a split second before he shutters it. “We have much in common, it seems.” Hades plasters back on his slightly terrifying grin. “How did you end up with an earthling as a mate, brother?”
“Only the fates know how I got so lucky.” Levi smiles down at me and my heart melts. He’s so damn sweet. How the hell did I end up with such genuinely good mates? They deserved someone way better than me. Before I can spiral about how I drag down my mates, Levi continues. “Izzy’s at least partcura.”
Hades’s dark navy eyebrows almost hit his wild blue hair in surprise. “You’re sure?”