Marcus' Prey

Chapter Thirteen: Part Two

         She was never allowed out of my sight again.

         "Than."

         My body stiffened as if I'd looked Medusa in the eyes, ice filling my soul at the familiar voice. Ignoring him, I pulled slightly from my mate to interrogate her.

         "Did he hurt you?" I demanded, clutching her chin to stare into her eyes. They widened at whatever expression my face held. No doubt it was as murderous as I felt. "Did he scare you? Did he fucking touch you at all?"

         "I...I mean, he grabbed my wrist to bring me here, but—"

         Fury. Brushing her petal-soft cheek gently with the backs of my knuckles, I stood. Turning to face the god, I stared him down. "You're dead, Hades."

         He cocked a brow. "You've been dead a long time, Thanatos."

         "My name is Marcus now."

         "Your name. Is. Thanatos!" He snapped, a crazed light in his eyes that wasn't there when I left.

         I shook my head, sadness sharpening the edges of my anger. "What happened to you, friend? I know our legends say you've a penchant for kidnapping women, but it hasn't been true until now. Why?"

         "Because I wanted to. I was bored," he spat bitterly. "At least you got to keep harvesting souls. At least that Spartan over there got to continue fighting. What do I get? A dying hell dimension and an eternity of nothingness." He looked down his nose at me from his considerable height, sneering cruelly. "Why wouldn't I take her? Seems to me you've got too much good going on. I figured you could afford to share."

         "Share?" I growled the word, my accent and tone making the word unrecognizable. But the meaning was there.

         Over my dead fucking body.

         "I haven't decided what I'll do with her yet. I was just about to bring her a pomegranate. Why not? Zeus spread those lies to slander me, and all mortals believe them. So, I might as well make them true."

         My heart stopped, my vision went white, and I darted forward, my body a blur of motion. I drew my sword mid-motion, slashing upward with the blade to cleave the motherfucker in half.

         Grinning like a naked skull, Hades swayed backwards faster than the eye could follow, avoiding my strike by barely a hairsbreadth. I countered back, switching my grip seamlessly to thrust my blade into his liver. Again, he moved so quickly, so slightly, that I might as well have been attacking an incorporeal foe. Contrary to scaring me, it just stoked the fires of my fury, and I roared as I launched a flurry of attacks at the top speed that this form could manage, a barrage that would overwhelm any normal opponent. Vaguely, from the corner of my eye I saw Lacedaemon rush to Kaiah, sweeping her out the door and putting his massive bulk between her and the fight. Though I hated that I was not the one to protect her, that she was relying on another male, I was lighter on my feet knowing that she was as safe as she could be.

         Meanwhile, Hades was dodging my every attack like he was chilling on the damned beach, never losing that stupid-ass grin, He danced around me, making me look a fool. I spilled not one drop of ichor in my efforts.

         "You'll have to do far better than that to harm one of the three elder gods of Greece, Thanatos." Hades mocked, darting forward to tap me on the cheek in an ultimate show of humiliation.

         I forced all the speed I could muster, rotating my wrist and just barely catching the asshole's wrist as it retreated.

         His eyes lit up like he'd won a prize as his wrist dripped gold. "Oh, so we're officially done with the warm-up, are we? Very well then."