Chapter Twenty-Two

I’ve never been to a palace before.

I’ve read about them in books, seen them on television and the internet, but this one–beat them all. This one defied all the descriptions and sights I’ve ever seen.

This was the Underworld Palace, a sight to behold. Towering black stone structures pierced the vividly colored sky, merging blue and red hues that transitioned into a mystical shade of purple. The grand entrance, adorned with touches of gold and black trimmings, exuded an air of opulence. As we approached, the colossal doors stood imposingly, their ebony and crimson surfaces.

The guards standing in front of the doors were formidable demons, their towering horns and swords at their sides instilling fear. Fangs, claws, and bulging muscles spoke of their sheer might. Yet, it was they who shook in the presence of Thanatos. As we ascended the mountainous steps with Hypnos and Fluffy behind us, I gripped hold of Thanatos” arm tightly at the sight of these demons. I don’t think I’ve seen anything more frightening than these things.

As we ascended the last step, the majestic sight of the six beasts greeted us, their massive forms bowed respectfully. The heavy doors swung open and revealed a grand entrance. The creaking hinges echoed, and the faint scent of aged wood added to the realness of this place. Thanatos’s firm grip on my arm provided reassurance, accompanied by a gentle pat. His hushed words brushed against my ear, “No one will harm you here,” he whispered. “They are family and overbearing with their affection,” he said, annoyed.

My surprised face must have brought amusement to him, because he chuckled and brought my hand to his lips.

How freaking sweet.

My shoulders relaxed, but still I worried about meeting the freaking God of the Underworld. This was Thanatos’ boss. The head honcho, the big kahuna. What if he told Thanatos to get rid of me?

The doors thundered as they opened wide, bringing my attention back to the present. The palace, with its majestic architecture, surpassed my imagination with its sheer grandeur. The absence of darkness, fire, and brimstone, the scent of sulfur and decaying flesh lingering in the air, and scattered bones strewn about pleasantly surprised me.

It was bright inside. It still had aesthetics of darkness. The dark rod irons, the dark silver doors, crimson accents, but the rooms were lit with candlelight, torches, and the floors were bright to keep the rooms happy.

Outside was no different. The lush gardens displayed green grass tipped with red and vibrant flowers bloomed in an array of beautiful colors. Bushes lined the pathways, their leaves rustling gently in the breeze. The warm sunlight kissed my skin, reminding me of the beauty I had left behind on Earth.

“He changed everything—for her,” Hypnos whispered in my ear as my mouth hung open when we walked into the magnificent hallway. “Ember is part werewolf. She missed earth and lived in a large pack house. Hades redid the palace and the gardens outside to make it look more earth-like so she doesn’t visit her family so much.”

That was sweet.

Or selfish so she doesn’t leave him to visit.

As we ventured further into the grand foyer, an enigmatic figure emerged from the shadows. He meticulously slicked back his hair, perfectly complementing his attire—a sleek, charcoal suit paired with a tie of deep, velvety crimson. The resounding click of his polished shoes echoed through the hall, breaking the silence. Beside him, a vibrant woman with cascading strawberry blonde hair practically danced to keep pace with his commanding presence. Her animated chatter filled the space, punctuated by the gentle patting of her hand on his arm. He graciously gave a smile upon her, only to redirect his piercing gaze towards us, his countenance furrowing once again with an air of concern.

Gods, he looks intimidating.

“Thanatos, a pleasant surprise.” The male’s voice radiated a calm power.

Still creepy though.

Hypnos chuckled beside me.

This must be Hades. I was worried all morning about what to wear. I tried to settle on a simple black dress, tried to go with the ambiance of the palace. Instead, Thanatos requested I wear a green wrap dress and mumbled how it complimented my hair.

My bone daddy softy.

The woman beside him—Ember, I’m assumed—gasped and ran toward me and threw out her arms. “And you must be Juniper!” She squealed and wrapped her arms around me. “I just knew Thanatos would scoop you up and save you. I’m so happy you are here.”

Thanatos let out a low growl of warning and brought his wing around me.

Hades pulled Ember back, and Thanatos and Hades stared at one another, silent words spoken between the two.

“Ember, you of all of us should know the consequences of what you are doing,” Hades drawled.

Ember slapped Hades on his chest. “Doesn’t matter. I brought them together. Thanatos can’t do anything, right?” Ember fluttered her lashes at him, and Thanatos just sighed, annoyed.

“It’s a pleasure to have you all here,” Ember announced. “Let’s go to the dining hall for lunch, and then we will talk business afterward. Business only after lunch. That is the rule.” Ember pointed her finger at all the men in the room, but I was the only one nodding.

When I’d woken this morning with Thanatos’ hooded head between my breasts, he warned me there was trouble afoot concerning Fuzzy Bunnies. It wasn’t a traffic ring being run by humans. Magic was involved, and demons and angels were very much the ring leaders and buyers.

And Koozoth was actually a demon who’d tried to buy me.

Ew. Demon dick sounded gross.

Then again, I was with the God of Death, but I’d bet his dick was tasty.

But angels? They could take part in sex trafficking, too? Now we have to worry not just about demons purchasing humans but angels, and now there may be a demon here in the Underworld who is working with Fuzzy Bunnies.

We were led to the dining room, and there was more than just our party dining. Another couple were already waiting, and they were complete opposites. The young woman with dark chestnut colored hair, dressed in a bright pink sundress, with a bow in her hair, was smiling brightly like the world was sunshine and rainbows, sitting on her man’s lap. Then there was the other—a man who looked similar to Hades but with a scowl on his face.

“This is our son Lucifer and Uriel,” Ember said proudly. “They will join us, since Lucifer is going to help track down this demon you are searching for.”

“Fluffy!” Uriel squealed, and Fluffy’s claws scraped the tiled floor. He raced toward her until he slid into her chair and licked her hand. “What a good Fluffykins you are, yes you are! Why don’t you go upstairs with Macaroni? He’s sitting on the windowsill waiting for you.” Fluffy rubbed his cheek next to Uriel’s and took off out of the dining hall and out the door.

“Macaroni was my mother’s pet when she was alive,” Ember interrupted. “Macaroni found my mother when she was visiting one Christmas at the palace and decided to stay at the palace permanently, so he would never miss a visit.” Ember sat at the head of the table with Hades and squeezed his hand, as if sharing a moment.

Uriel smiled brightly at me. She was gorgeous with bright gold eyes, and my nervousness seemed to float away when I looked at her. She then waved for me to come sit next to the both of them. I traveled around the table closer to her. Thanatos followed close behind with his hand on the small of my back, which I’m grateful for.

Uriel slid off Lucifer”s lap. He glared at her for a moment but seemed to understand what she’s doing as she sat next to me and grabbed my hand to be friendly. Lucifer laid his hand on Uriel’s thigh and squeezed, capturing it possessively.

“Hi, you’re doing great,” Uriel whispered to me. “We can be friends. I bet this is a lot for a human. Being in the Underworld and being around a bunch of gods and all.”

I nodded, my throat tightening. I didn’t remember the last time someone said they wanted to be my friend, and so boldly too. “I’d really like that, Uriel, thanks. I’m Juniper, but you can call me Juni.”

Uriel clapped her hands excitedly. “We’re going to have some fun, then. I’m guessing Thanatos is your mate?”

I glanced at Thanatos, who was talking to Hypnos and Hades. They were whispering about a warlock named Samael that gave Koozoth to the Fuzzy Bunnies owner. Ember was waving for butlers to serve lunch, so I don’t think she noticed they are talking about business.

“Um, mate? Like a friend or something?” I whispered back to her.

Uriel raised her eyebrows several times and shook her head. “No, like your soul mate. You just haven’t solidified your bond yet?”

I stared at her blankly.

Lucifer leaned over to Uriel. “Bunny, hush. He must not have told her yet.”

“Told me what?” I leaned closer to Uriel.

“That is between you and Thanatos,” Lucifer snaps. “Now eat.” He pointed to the hunk of steak on my plate.

What a cunt-a-saurus.

Uriel snorted loudly and giggled. “A cunt-a-saurus! I love it! Luci! Did you hear that? She gave you a new nickname!”

I dropped my fork onto my plate with a clang and slapped my hands over my mouth.

Shit, I said it out loud.

I called the prince of darkness a cunt-a-saurus.

“It has a bad word in it, but there are other letters in it, so it doesn’t make it as bad, does it Luci?” Uriel batted her eyelashes at Lucifer, but oh my gods, he was staring me down like he was going to murder me.

I slapped Thanatos’ arm. He was still talking lowly to Hades, but with the first slap he diverted his attention to me. “Bone Daddy! Lucifer is gonna kill me. His hands are turning black and he just melted the fork!” I squeaked and jumped out of my chair and into Thanatos’ lap.

“Bone Daddy?” Hypnos snorted. “That’s a new one.”

“I can’t stop talking! Oh, my gods!”

Thanatos stood with me in his arms. His wings spread to an enormous wingspan, making him appear larger. “Back down, Lucifer,” he snarled.

Lucifer stood from the table, but Uriel stood in front of him, her hand sliding under the black tunic he’s wearing to touch his bare chest. A warm light glowed on her hand, and Lucifer instantly calmed. The darkness from his hands faded and his shoulders slumped. He grabbed Uriel, burying his nose into her shoulder.

What the hell was that?

“Lucifer has anger issues,” Thanatos whispered to me.

That’s an understatement.

Lucifer whipped his head toward me and I clung to Thanatos once more.

Thanatos chuckled and cupped my cheek. “You will have to be more patient, Lucifer. Juniper speaks her mind. A trait I have come to enjoy.”

“Did he just chuckle?” Hades pointed at Thanatos. “And do I see flesh and blood on your hand? Fuck, what has gone on in the past weeks?”

Ember smiled, her fingertips dancing on her lips. “He’s been busy, you know, working, saving damsels in distress.”

Thanatos cleared his throat and led me back to the table. “I only saved the one, thank you.”

I did my best to hide my smile but failed miserably.

We engaged in small talk for the rest of lunch. No one brought up the term mate again, and I thought it was an unspoken message not to, but I would not forget about it.

The whole lunch was just overall strange to me that gods were sitting at the table like everything was normal. Sitting, eating, not arguing, just talking. Except for the minor mishap with Lucifer, he was pretty normal too. I thought Lucifer was the fallen angel of heaven, but he was, in fact, Hades’ son.

I learned very early that the gods were not like the typical gods of old that I’d learned about and Uriel was a trip. She gave a brief history of herself because I’d never heard of her before. Her powers suited her. Goddess of Innocence and Grace. Her parents, Hera and the Archangel Michael brought her up in a very sheltered home, and I’m pretty sure they should add slightly floaty andsheltered to her goddess title. She was child-like but in a refreshing way.

Uriel made me smile, though. My random bouts of speaking out loud were funny and refreshing to her and she didn’t find me overly weird.

Lucifer even calmed down. He didn’t give me any more death glares once lunch was over. Uriel kept holding my hand, and when she did, this beautiful glow would radiate between us and it would trigger the soul reflector that Thanatos put inside me, causing me to light up even when the lights were on in the room. My whole body would light up and Uriel would ooh and ahh over it.

“Luci, I’m going to go take Juni to the closet.” Uriel decided as she pulled me out of my chair. “I want to see if she can light the entire room up.”

Lucifer laughed and squeezed her butt. “Do the one right here in the dining room. Come back in a few minutes.”

Thanatos motioned for me to come over and grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him. “Don’t leave the room.”

My eyes widened. “Since when do you get bossy over me? Am I your mate or something?” I pried.

His shadows encompassed me, pulling me closer to him, his glowing blue eyes dimmed in his hood as if they were narrowing at me. “You are, and I will explain more later about that. Do not leave this room.”

I squeezed my thighs together, and he placed a kiss on the back side of my hand.

“Wow,” Uriel breathed as she ran us across the dining hall, “I’ve never seen Thanatos give affection before. I think he is totally gaga for you!”

She pulled open the handle to a black door filled with gold trimmings and pulled me inside. Fancy teacups, linens, silver, and extra place wear filled the shelves.

Holy cow, it was as big as my apartment back on earth.

“Wow, look how pretty you are!” Uriel touched my skin, watching the sparkles climb up my arm. “And it does this every time you are in the dark?”

“Yup.” I touched it with my finger, still amazed. “And the little green sparks are part of my aura. I don’t know what it means, and neither does Thanatos, but someone in Bergarian can read it, but I’m not allowed to meet him.”

“King Osirus,” Uriel said. “Yeah, I heard he is really handsome. Thanatos wouldn”t want you near anyone because you”re not officially mated yet. He doesn’t want anyone to steal you away.” Uriel continued to touch my skin and then looked around the walls where it cast the glow. “Wonder if he could do this for me so I don’t have to sleep with a night light.”

I let Uriel watch the sparkles on my skin until I couldn’t hold it in anymore: “Uriel? What is a mate?”

Uriel pulled a sucker from her sundress pocket. “I shouldn’t tell you. Thanatos should tell you that. It’s a mate thing.” She licked the cherry red sucker. “Sorry, do you want one?” Uriel pulled out another sucker.

I shrugged my shoulders and took it. “But it seems important. I don’t want to be left in the dark.”

Uriel moved her lips side to side, contemplating.

“I’ll tell you another fun word you can call Lucifer that’s like cunt-a-saurus,” I sang.

Her golden eyes sparkled in my light.

“Fine, you got me. Deal!”