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
Cleo’s POV As the sound of screaming bought me back to my surroundings, I was shocked by what I saw. Never in my life, with or without the darkness, had I committed something so violent and atrocious. The guard’s face was completely unrecognisable. It had been caved in from where id bashed it down on the wooden spike time and time again until there was almost nothing of his head left. I threw the corpse to the ground and took a step back, nausea building within me as my hands began to tremble. I had been so lost in my rampage that I hadn’t even noticed Roman arrive. The look on his face was something that I would never forget. A mixture of fear and disgust. The way his eyes roamed over my face before turning his back to me made me feel even more sick. As addicting as the darkness was becoming, the last thing I wanted was for him to give up on me. He was supposed to be my salvation. I watched as he checked the children over for injuries before ripping the bottom of his shorts and tyi
Cleo’s POVI wasn’t going to let him die, not for me. I didn’t deserve it, and I didn’t deserve him. His pack needed him to survive. After overhearing what Roman and his family intended to do, I knew I had to get there first. This all began because of me, and it would end with me. I’d be damned if anyone else would lose their lives because of me.Closing my eyes, I pictured the Wolf Embassy. The building had recently been refurbished due to a fire a few years ago, and I remembered seeing it on the billboard back in the orphanage. It was shaped like a large townhouse, at least four floors high. The wooden fronts were replaced with blacked-out glass panels from the bottom to the third floor. The fourth floor was brick and held only a couple of windows.Any passerby wouldn’t think anything of it, but in my mind, that would be where they met and held their most secretive meetings. It offered the most coverage and was high enough that they had more chance to get away if something happened
Roman’s POVI thought I was getting through to Cleo until she pushed me backwards and took off. I went to run after her but was held back by my fathers.“Let her go, son; she’s not ready.”“She’s on a mission just as we are. Let her do what she needs to, and then we will help you get her back. Whatever it takes.” Nodding at my father’s, we took the second set of stairs. As much as I hated to admit it, they were right.Cleo had gone to the next floor, so it made sense for us to go up again. Whether she liked it or not, we would clear this place together. Level three was where the armoury was kept. Weapons collected over the centuries from all different species are locked away. From fairy dust, rogue’s poison, and enchanted blades to a witch’s grimoire. Anything they could get their hands on and use would be inside that vault. We just needed to get it open.As proof of how untouchable the council thought they had become, they hadn’t bothered to disguise the front of the vault. The metal