Page 63 of The Hellbeast's Betrayal

And I was right.

“Ella, my dearest, I have guests I would like you to meet.”

I kept in whatever snarky remark I would have liked to give, watching as one of the doors in the corner opened. Then in walked what I would have easily classed as being a real Queen.

She wore a long, dark red dress, that was edged in gold and fell off her shoulders into long sleeves past her hands. The style was similar to that of some medieval fair maiden. Her waist was cinched in by the thick gold under corset, that was glittering with jewels and coils of golden rope keeping them in place. This matched the crown she wore, which was deadly gold spikes decorated in rubies and diamonds. Her long black hair hung down in waves all the way past her waist.

As for her face, her haughty expression gave her an air of arrogance, and she looked down her slim nose as if everything displeased her. Her dark brown eyes held a cruelty to them that instantly told everyone around her that this woman could not be trusted. The regal way she moved told me she had most likely spent most her life as royalty, oh… and she wasn’t alone. In walked another woman, this one dressed as if she were ready for war. Both women sneered at me the second they saw me.

The second women’s armor was strange and made from what looked like a delicate filigree of painted black metal. The chest piece was molded to her tall frame, covering her from the top of her shoulders all the way to her hips, making me wonder how she even got in that thing. Long, black, sheer gauze material floated down from the edge of the metal, acting as a skirt. Her skin was so pale she looked half dead and with her black eyes void of any emotion, I could have well believed it. Her hair was worn loose, like the queen’s, with white streaks running through the black, matching her own crown. One far less gaudy and extravagant than the queen because it looked to be made from stark white bone fingers.

“Your Majesty, how good of you to come so quickly,” Garmr said without rising from his chair.

“Yes, well when your messenger told me what you have for me, then of course I came, for I have been waiting to kill my husband’s bastard children since that harlot Nymph tricked him into bedding her.”

At this I nearly lost my shit, knowing now she was talking about our mother, which would mean this was…

“Persephone,”I said her name with distain and through gritted teeth, making the woman who had accompanied her fly at me in rage. She was so quick that I had no time to react as she back handed me hard enough that I not only hit the floor, but I went skidding along it!

The jarring hit made my ears ring as well as making me taste blood in my mouth. The pain of it made my eyes water, and I could only hope she hadn’t broken my jaw!

“Silence, half-blood!” she snarled, coming at me again, only this time, Garmr intervened. He was by my side in a second, grabbing her arm and preventing her from striking me again.

“I believe we have business first, for you know the deal!” he growled angrily. Making me spit out blood to the floor, as I tried to get up, hoping and praying to the Gods that the baby was okay after that fall. The woman, who I was guessing to be Persephone’s daughter, Melinoë, yanked her hand free and snapped,

“Then let’s get on with it!”

“Yes, please do, for my daughter, Melinoë, has been quite eager for the chance to torture this one… and better yet, I get to watch… it is, however, just a shame my husband won’t be here to witness it,” the queen said cruelly, but Garmr didn’t seem to be listening because he helped me up from the floor, making me snatch my hand away from him. He gritted his teeth before forcing me to look his way, now gripping my chin and assessing the damage.

The blood on my split lip was dripping down my chin, as well as from my nose, making him snarl back at Melinoë. Then after running the back of his fingers down my burning cheek, he pulled piece of black fabric from his suit jacket pocket and handed it to me so I could hold it to my bleeding nose.

“And what of my end of the bargain?” he asked, his voice now hard and void of earlier pleasantries.

“Yes, yes, you may have my legions to fight in your silly war, I care not, for all I want is the girl’s head. Shame, though, you don’t have the other one.”

I gritted my teeth at that, knowing that she was talking about Lerna.

“This is the only girl that concerns me, for she is all I need,” Garmr said, his eyes on me, before turning back to face the queen.

“And had you possession of them both, then you could have bargained for much more,” she countered, making Garmr scoff.

“Ah, but I think you misunderstand me, Persephone.”

“That is Queen of the Underworld to you, Geryon,” she snapped, making me wonder why she thought he was called that? Was this what Jared had been talking about when mentioning this name?

“But you see, that is not my name at all,” he replied, now dropping all pretense and revealing his true self.

I had a feeling that this had all been a set up for the queen. Because even I knew now, that Garmr didn’t want me dead. Even without my powers. Which could only mean that he needed the ones who had stolen it to begin with.

That he needed them here.

Oh no, this was bad.

“I… I don’t understand, you shouldn’t be here, not in my realm,” the queen stuttered, as if realizing that she had been played.

“Soon to be my realm, my dear, and speaking of which, I would like to introduce you to my Queen…” He held his hand out to indicate me, making the other two glare at me in shock.

“How dare you! I demand to know the meaning of this!” she shrieked in outrage, making Garmr grin. One that stayed in place even when her daughter ran at me, a dagger pulled from her back now in hand. A dagger that was about to kill me. But then just before she could get close, she suddenly froze in place like a statue half running. A green fog started to hold her suspended in place, swirling around her like unseen shackles had gripped her.

---