After discovering she's a descendant of Hades, Avery must find a way to escape those hunting her and ultimately choose between her two opposing soulmates.
*****
Once Avery Stavros...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I WANTED TO SPEND THE DAY wrapped in his arms, knowing that we were truly here and not a world away. Yet I knew it was impossible once I heard the door knock interrupting our peace.
"Wait for a second," I shouted as I collected my clothes from the floor and put them on as fast as I could.
"You know we could just ignore them, right?" The deep voice reminded her how these last two weeks have been amazing. Only two words needed to describe it: Vladimir and bed.
I looked over my shoulder at Vladimir, still in his bed dipped in the mattress with only half of his body covered. Looking at his marvelous upper half was enough to tempt me not to leave this love nest and face the real world. "And face the wrath of the Queen herself? Unlikely." I smiled apologetically.
The Queen has requested an audience with me two days after I came back. I had told her that I needed more time with Vladimir, I mean after what happened, two days wasn't enough for us. He'd waited for eleven months for me to come back, suffered every day of denial and grief. I couldn't just leave him and fly back to The Court no matter how important it was.
I heard him groaned. "So much for having you for myself." He pushed the mattress away and swung his feet off the bed.
Spending two weeks together in bed changed everything. There was no more shyness or awkward glances. Eleven months apart has taught us that life was too short to keep each other's away, to deny what we had between us. Every minute counted, every second mattered.
When it came down to the most important thing in the world, we both knew that he loved me and I loved him. It didn't matter if I was Avery or Camilla or Isabella, we were meant to be together.
There was something sexy about a man putting his clothes on and I couldn't resist watching as I leaned against the wall and stared. He started with his underwear, then his white dress shirt, followed by his black trousers. "Do I have to wear a tie?" Looking in the mirror, he slid his gaze into me and our eyes locked. "Enjoying yourself, Miss Stavros?" His brow lifted in a playful way.
I pushed myself off the wall and walked towards him. "I am." I opened the drawer in front of him and picked a coral blue tie. I put it around his neck and pulled him down. Our lips met and the whole world was forgotten. Nothing mattered but the fact that we were both here, in the same universe at last, and there was nothing that could separate us anymore.
"So, I take it that I have to wear a tie after all, huh?" He smiled and planted a light kiss on my lips.
I gave him a mischievous smile. "If you still want to come with me, Mr. Ambrosia."
His hands grabbed me by my waist and pulled me closer. "Are you playing hard to get, Miss Stavros?"
"Oh, I don't know, Mr. Ambrosia, am I?" I raised my brows playfully as my arms wrapped around his neck.
* * *
"SO YOU SIMPLY brought back to life by Hades?" asked Queen Rhea from her throne, ten feet away from the ground. Apparently, there was no equality anymore. So much has happened in eleven months. There was her, sitting on the pedestal so high, while I stood like a defendant.
"Yes," I answered curtly. Somehow, I had a bad feeling about this conversation. I knew I wasn't guilty of anything but she made me feel like I was.
She flicked her hand. "Outrageous! That is against the law. Surely Lord Hades knows of this. He'd signed the treaty himself." Her voice was full of accusation.
If I didn't know better I would've thought she'd been brainwashed while I was gone. She seemed so nice and down to earth before yet now she acted like a bloodthirsty monarch. "There's a clause in the treaty that stated an exception can be made if the god only has one descendant. I'm his only descendant."
"Well, that is not our problem. The concern here is that your presence is against the law of nature. Things that died must stay dead." Her eyes showed no mercy. "You're an abomination. No one can be resurrected. We can only be reincarnated. And it took years to purge the soul before it was reborn."
"Not if you're the last descendant. The usual fifty years cycle doesn't work for me. Mine is only seven. I thought you knew all this considering you're the queen of our race." I didn't mean to use sarcasm but I was tired of this unfairness and her accusation. She knew nothing about what was going on in Olympus. She might be queen but she was the queen here on earth, not the entire universe. She knew about the treaty yet she didn't know why it was made.
"I don't like the tone you're using to speak to your queen," she narrowed her eyes and gave me a stink eye. "Until we decide the next move, you must remain in Court." Her lips twitched. With a descending tone, she added, "Your unit on the regulars building will be reinstated. You'll find all of your belongings there."
She knew I wasn't a regular anymore yet she treated me like I was one. I haven't talked to Vlad about this but I was sure he'd agreed. "There's no need, your majesty. I'll be staying with the Ambrosias."
As her face turned sour and I could practically see her eyes went crazy, I curtsied and gave her one of my sweetest smiles. I walked out of the palace, unafraid of what might come. But maybe I should, considering I was going to be chased by hundreds of people who were part of the new fraction.
Thank you for giving my book a chance ♥ writing is my only escape from my life ♥ I'm so grateful, your support means the world to me ♥ stay blessed ♥agatha x
