Roman’s POVAs Kaylee’s control over us ended, I scurried across the floor to Cleo, whose breathing had become shallow. Freya wasn’t healing her, which worried me. What had Daphne’s wolf done to subdue her?Hearing the clang of metal hit the ground, my eyes shot up, finding Hades who was trying to stand. Looking at the knife wedged firmly in his back; I knew it was Cleo’s doing. She had to have thrown it just in time, but at the cost of her own life.“Roman…” hearing Lucille’s voice, I turned only to find her looking at her hands as she began turning to dust; piece by piece, she disintegrated. With Hades dying, so was his magic, and Lucille’s second chance at life was a product of that.I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt as I turned my back to her; after all, she’d bought all of this upon herself. Placing an arm under Cleo’s legs and another under her head, I picked her up and carried her to the alter where our pup lay. I knew she would have wanted to say goodbye to Daphne, but I hoped s
Cleo’s POV“Wake her up!”“No, it’s too dangerous.”“Don’t give me that crap. She’s his mate, she deserves to have a chance to stop this.”“You think I’m doing this out of spite, but I assure you, Layla, I’m not. Just one spike in her heart rate, and she combusts. What on earth do you think will happen when she finds out about Roman?”“So, what, dear father, do you plan to do? Keep her asleep for the rest of her life?”“Don’t be absurd. She will wake once the procedure is complete, and the council no longer deems her a threat.”“This is fucked up, and you know it. It goes against everything you ever taught us. Whatever happened to free will and ‘our body our choice’? It’s her heritage! I get we can’t defy them ourselves, but I’m afraid this isn’t right. She can stop them, and they know it. Why else do you think they wanted this done in the first place? They fear her and what she can stand for. You said it yourself, and so did mum. Roman was feared because he was destined to bring peac
Cleo’s POVEverything seemed so surreal, had the pain in my heart not been there, I would have thought this all to be a nightmare. The only thing I knew for sure, was that the council wouldn’t stop, not until they got what they wanted. Whether or not I’d survive the removal of hellfire was of no matter to them. Hell, they’d probably kill me anyway all because of who I am, and the power my pup may possess. All I knew was I had to stop them, and this time I’d be going solo.Too many people had their own agenda, even if it were to save a loved one. I, however, wanted everyone but the council to get their happy ending.I wanted Axel and Hector to live the remainder of their lives in peace knowing Athena was in a better place, one where she felt loved and accepted. The scars that once plagued her no longer held her back. I wanted Layla and Lewis to watch their pups grow up and begin families of their own. In an ideal world, Kai would find it within him to forgive himself and be blessed wit
Cleo’s POV“Ater ignus, fusce fume. Te evoco ut potentium tuam monstres. Cupidibus flammis hic veni. Caelo sub isto, harc arborem consumo. Lucem tenebrasque tuas monstra. Impetuum tuum evoco ad devorandum. Hanc arborem ac omnes hospitas devora. The rightful heir must now give her sacrifice.” Nausea rolled over me as Amun recited the words from his leather book. No matter how many times I told myself this was the right thing to do, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.Getting to my knees I held my head high awaiting the part I dreaded the most. I had never wanted to admit my heritage, but as the old saying goes ‘your past will catch up to you eventually’ and mine had.“Do you young Cleo, daughter and only living heir of our King Hades, accept the duties that accompany your new role? Do you promise to uphold the barrier between worlds, preventing souls from leaving? Will you sacrifice your pure soul to set your reign claiming the throne and all its glory?” It was no
Cleo’s POV Incinerating the flesh from the council members and the guard until they were nothing more than a pile of ash did nothing to stir feelings within me. Though when Roman told me he loved me, I felt a stir. A stir that I couldn’t let happen, not yet, and perhaps not at all.The power I possessed, the fear I spread whenever I used it, had excitement bubbling inside me. I wanted it all; I wanted access to every aspect the darkness had to offer. It was as if a part of me had been asleep for far too long and had now awoken, ready to have its turn.Taking Roman’s hand, I felt the flames come forward without a word leaving my lips. As time passed, it was as if they knew when I would want them and began acting independently. The blue flames surrounded us, their painless heat warming my now constantly cold body before dying out, revealing a new location.‘A Queen could get used to such a mode of transportation.’ Freya was impressed with how easily the use of hellfire had become. Usin
Roman’s POVI knew without a doubt that Cleo would rather lose herself forever than for our daughter to one day walk this road. A parent’s sole goal is to ensure their children grow up safe. The problem was that Cleo had been looking at it all wrong. Each of us was born with the blood of a god or goddess. However, our pup came from both. The dark and the light are equal parts living in harmony within her tiny body. She was born to rule the underworld, her entire persona more than strong enough to sustain from giving in to a single part of herself. By accepting her role as Queen when she came of age, there was no risk of her losing herself.I didn’t want to believe the things she could one day be capable of, but now I do. I believe she will be capable of as much good just as she will be capable of causing irreparable destruction, but we had time to ensure she chose correctly. She would need Cleo and me to teach her the difference between wrong and right while freely embracing who she w
Cleo’s POVThe explosion in the pack house was like a beacon calling my name. The anger, the fear, and the smell of death excited me. With each death came a vibrant soul, so I knew the world I ruled would flourish with the new arrivals. It was one of the awful yet understood needs of hell.Standing in the center of the courtyard, I watched Moonlight Pack members flee from their homes with their families. Roman had once mentioned tunnels hidden under the older homes, making me wonder if that was where they hoped to make their escapes. Things were in complete and utter chaos, and again the men in charge were to blame.Before I could step, a loud yet deep voice called my name, catching my attention. Elder Johnathan stood there, his fists balled at his side with a long metal blade strapped to his waist. His face was stern and void of emotion, something that didn’t change as his lips curled up in a snarl. Though no matter how intimidating he tried to be, I could smell his fear radiating th
Roman’s POVSeeing Layla in the grip of Brent had us seething. He had once been a member of our pack until he was banished by my mother, forced to become rogue for the assault of several she-wolves. As our eyes locked, he smirked, but Balthazar was quick to unhand him and free our sister.I didn’t have time to think about where my pup may be because I knew Layla would never have gotten caught while she was in her possession. Wherever she had hidden her, I knew she was safe.With Brent remaining in human form, it was clear how he had improved in combat. His fists certainly packed a punch, but he would never hurt anyone again when this was over. With Balthazar retreating, I got to handle the situation personally. Taking a deep breath, I ran at him, dropping to my stomach and using a pool of blood on the ground to slide between his legs, missing his next attack. Swinging my foot under him, he fell but quickly steadied himself.Standing, I wrapped my arm around his neck, placing him in a