14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Lexia

"Hades?" I question for the hundredth time. Because that can't be right.

"Hades," Lumen confirms… for the hundredth time.

"How is this possible?" I ask, staring at the part of the journal I worked on deciphering. I was so caught up in working, wanting to get it done, that I didn't read a thing until I was finished. That's when certain words stood out to me.

Hades.

Underworld.

Souls.

"Did you not realize he was real?" Slate asks with a smirk.

"Of course not! Why would I consider that?"

He shrugs, leaning back in his chair. "With everything else going on, I'd assume you'd have an open mind."

"I do have an open mind!" I argue, throwing my hands up. "But I just… I don't know. It seems every time I get a grasp on what's happening in my life, something more insane drops into my lap."

"If it makes you feel better, I hear he is a good man. Nothing like the way he is depicted in those books," Slate says.

"Oh yes. Thank you for that. It really helps," I respond dryly.

Slate gasps, sitting up quickly. He snaps his fingers, pointing at Vesperon. "Now it makes sense!"

Vesperon frowns. "What makes sense?"

"What the witch said. That riddle." He gets up, pacing back and forth. "What she said about the liquid. Living no more. Come on, Vesperon, you know what she said. I called her daft."

"You asked if she was daft," he corrects.

"Same thing." Slate waves him off. "She must have known where we would end up. The answer to the riddle is the River Styx. In the Underworld. The witch knew!"

Okay, the witch knew about the prophecy… I'm sure many of them do.

"Maybe that's why she didn't make you pay for the book?" I say carefully.

"Must be. She's on our side. That's great news. If we need anything else, at least we can go back." He barks out a cheerful laugh, then drops into his seat again.

"Maybe we should focus on the other issue," Lumen says gently.

"Which one?" I ask, not keeping my voice quiet. "We have a whole pile to choose from."

Lumen clears his throat before saying, "Slate needing to be a mate before we can go into the Underworld."

Vesperon shifts in his seat, and not for the first time. But it's better than his original reaction of growling when we first found out that in order for us to get into the Underworld—which, according to this journal, we do—we must all be mated.

The journal goes into detail not only about this prophecy and what we have to do, but about my past lives with Vesperon. It was hard to read, but also helpful.

There is a well of magic that the excess magic goes into when it is not being used. Due to witches and other magic-using creatures not using magic like they once did, for many reasons, the well is overflowing. This amount of magic in one place is dangerous. For whatever reason, instead of relocating the magic, I have to consume it. I'm in no place to wrap my head around that, so I've chosen to ignore it for now. There was something about me being a grey at my core, even though I'm human, so I'll be able to soak up the magic without issue.

In the journal, it also states that others have found out about this magic and are trying to get to it. If one person gets to that magic and uses it for the wrong thing, it will be catastrophic. If no one finds the magic, it will grow to a dangerous amount that could destroy the universe.

Doing nothing is not an option.

We are running out of time. The magic is threatening to overtake the universe, while bad people are trying to get it for themselves. The four of us are the last hope. We truly must work together to manage all this magic.

Meaning, whether we want to or not, Slate and I must mate. If we want to live, that is. And I certainly do. Slate is here, so I can only assume he wants to as well.

Our next step, aside from the mating, is going to the Underworld to meet Hades. He will give us directions to where this magical well is. Apparently, he is the only person who knows where it is. The only person who can help us. Meaning, again , we don't have a choice in this.

"Honestly," I begin. "I think sleeping with Slate is the least of my concerns right now."

"I'm choosing not to take offense to that," he comments.

"What is your biggest concern, my love?" Ves takes my hand, his voice gentle.

"Getting to the Underworld. Hades. Slate says he's nice, and that's fine, but what if he doesn't want to help us? What if he doesn't give us what we need? And what if getting to the Underworld isn't easy?"

"It's plenty easy," Slate says with a wave of his hand. "I've been many times."

"Many times?" I ask.

"Yes. Hades throws parties often. I've been."

"Are you joking?" Lumen asks.

"Not at all," Slate answers. "Why would I joke about something like that?"

"Hades throwing parties sounds like something you made up," Lumen answers.

"Well, it happened. Many times." Slate crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his chair, bringing his attention to the paper in front of him, as if he no longer wants to defend himself.

"Okay, so getting there isn't an issue. What about him giving us the information?" Lumen asks.

"I told you he's a nice guy. If he's part of the prophecy, it's likely he knows we're coming. He's probably been waiting for us."

"Then why did he not bring it up when you were there for all those parties ?" Vesperon asks.

I don't miss the way Lumen's lips twitch like he wants to laugh.

"How would he know it's me?" Slate presses his hand to his chest. "Do you know how many greys there are? The prophecy did not use names, and if Hades is the only person who knows, that's because he doesn't go around talking about it."

"That's a fair point," I add, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"We should rest," Lumen says, getting to his feet. "We've been at it all night. Let's sleep and talk about this when we wake up."

When I get up, my head pounds and my body is weak. I hadn't realized how tired I was until just now.

I head to the bedroom, Ves and Lumen behind me. I pause just inside the door, wondering if I should ask Slate to join us. But I already know what his answer will be.

"I don't sleep."

He doesn't get that I'm not asking him into bed to get him to sleep. It's to be together. To bond. To get to know one another. But I guess I can understand why he wouldn't understand that. He's the outsider here. As much as I don't want it to be this way, I can't snap my fingers and make us all have a perfect relationship.

I change into pajamas and climb into bed. Lumen closes the curtains to shut out the light as Ves climbs in beside me. Once the room is completely dark, Lumen climbs in next. I'm sleeping in seconds.