The Demon's Demand

Epilogue

I sat on the porch rocking in the chair as I held our sleeping daughter in my arms. I smiled as I watched Ryland chase our three boys around. This was the warmest it's been in weeks. The green grass made a rare appearance, as the sun glittered off of the leaves in the trees. I brought my attention back to our boys running around screaming and giggling uncontrollably. The door opened and I quickly looked to see who it was. Jeremiah walked out and smiled at the little girl in my arms before charging at the boys. They all screamed and ran in different directions. Ryland picked Ryder up and threw him in the air, before attacking him with tickles.

I couldn't help the quiet laugh that left my lips at the sight. Ryder was five now and was absolutely adorable and such a compassionate little boy. He loved helping me with his baby sister and his brothers whenever he could.

I heard cries sound from Wren in my arms. I quickly rocked my arms, trying to soothe her.

Her bright green eyes calmed down as she raised her small fingers into her mouth.

"Here you go." I jumped as a heavily pregnant Lydia came into view. She handed me one of Wren's bottles from the fridge. "I heard her crying from the kitchen."

"Thank you." I smiled up at her before nudging the bottle between Wrens lips. She sat down in the chair next to me resting a hand on her belly.

"They hit like a truck." She winced. "Like a fucking eighteen-wheeler. How the hell did you carry four of them?" I just laughed and shook my head as I continued holding the bottle. Lydia was pregnant with twins, two boys. Poor Wren was going to be severely outnumbered.

"Mommy!" Ryder yelled running over, laughing. I looked over at him with a big smile, his clothes covered in dirt and grass stains, I just shook my head at the sight. Jeremiah reached for him throwing him in the air. His giggles were like music to my ears. I glanced at my other two boys, Jackson and Lucas were both sitting on Ryland's shoulders giggling too.

I frowned knowing it was almost time for me to head to the other realm for a hearing, but I wanted to stay with my family desperately, at least just for a little bit longer. Kolton walked out the door, handing Lydia a bowl of chocolate ice cream with banana slices before extending his hands out to take Wren.

"There's my favorite niece." Kolton cooed as she stared up at him, mesmerized.

"She's your only niece, doofus." Lydia rolled her eyes.

"Exactly, I don't see a problem with what I said." He spoke, sticking his tongue out at her.

I gave her a quick kiss on the head before walking over to the boys. Ryder ran out to me, I immediately crouched down and pulled him into a hug, kissing his head. Ryland walked over and dropped one boy at a time, they waddled over to me, and I swung Jackson around in my arms, kissing his cheek, before lifting up Lucas and doing the same. Ryland leaned over them and pressed a kiss to my lips, before a quick hug.

"Be careful, please. Make the dickhead suffer." He whispered so quietly only I could hear it, at least that's what's I thought.

"Diw-head." Jackson babbled causing both mine and Rylands eyes to widen.

"No Jackson it's dickhead." Ryder told him, emphasizing on the 'k' I gave Ryland a look, telling him to fix this.

I nodded before kissing him one last time.

"I love you." I smiled at him.

"I love you the most."

As I was walking I heard him tell the boys, "We can't call anyone that word, that is not a very nice word. We can only say it to Uncle Miah." I just shook my head and kept walking. Poor Jeremiah.

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I walked to the edge of the woods, and let Adiralaylie, take over to create the wispy, dark purple portal. I took a deep breath before eventually stepping through it.

I entered the pitch-black throne room. I lifted my hand and the shadows quickly dispersed. Revealing, my tall, black and silver spiked throne. I walked up to it and took a seat, despite how it looked, it was pretty comfortable. Which made my time here less miserable.

"Hello, Gods-killing Shadow Queen." I rolled my eyes at his all too familiar voice.

"Don't you have literally anywhere else to be?" I snapped at him as I waited for the other demons to enter the room. He ignored me and just walked to his seat, propping his legs up on the table, composed of a black water-like material. I raised my hands and darkness shoved his feet off.

"Is he here?" I asked unsure of how I felt. It's been years but I still felt uneasy at the memories of him. At what he had done.

"Unfortunately. I assure you he will suffer, don't worry." He spoke noticing my face. For someone meant to be so cruel and daunting, he wasn't actually terrible at times.

As if they heard us, several demons walked in, chains were wrapped around Adiralaylie's cousin, that I had never seen before. They were spiked but glowing a phantom white shade. They dug into his sides as the demon walked closer to us.

"Hello cousin." Her voice left my lips. "You've looked better."

Shadows flowed down his sides, pooling below him on the floor, his eyes glowing a phantom white.

"You will be banished to the deepest parts of the underworld. You will never know peace. Not for a second. Take him." Her voice rang. At this I could see fear fill his eyes.

"You and I are going to have so much fun together." Hades smiled wickedly, standing up. He walked closer to the demon, towering over him. He snapped his fingers and the demon's body whirled around in a vicious swirl before disappearing in thin air. I don't think I will ever get used to his powers. After everyone left It was just Hades and I.

"What?" I asked him, noticing how he kept glancing at me.

"How is she?" I immediately tensed. I always dreaded his questions about her. "You cannot see her yet; you know the rules." I frowned, knowing well what was going to happen in the future.

"I just need to know she's safe." He frowned. "Nothing else, but that I cannot live without knowing."

"She will always be safe, with us." I told him when I saw the worry deep beneath his eyes. "We still have time, there has to be a way around it." I frowned.

He nodded but didn't seem convinced.

"It's fucked up, I know." He sighed. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't even realize I offended the moon goddess to the extent that I did."

"I don't give a shit how it affects you." I told him. "But this will affect her whole life, one day. Which is something I will never be okay with." I frowned.

"I told you, that day that I will have to take what was mine one day. The balance of nature demands it. It just shouldn't be her." He frowned. "I am sorry for that. C-Could you give her this. For me." He spoke snapping his fingers. A small fluffy yellow bunny stuffed animal appeared in his hands.

"Obviously, if she asks eventually just say it was from you." He sighed extending it to me. I grasped it in my fingers and nodded.

I couldn't stop the frown from taking over my face, knowing that when Wren turned eighteen, she would have no choice but to go to the underworld with Hades. An immortal demon. But until then, he promised he would stay away. Far away.

That was the demon's fucking demand. But we still had time. We needed more time.

Ryland, Hades and I had been trying to find some loophole, some way around it, but fate seemed to have other ideas.

A/N

Thank you for the people who stuck with me through this book! I know the updates took a while when I first started it, but I really appreciate those who stayed, it really means a lot!

I'm planning on starting another book in this series, that will focus on Wren and Hade's story as well as Ryder, Lucas and Jackson! I promise it will be the last one for this series! (this one was meant to be the last one 😫 lol)