“Kellsie?” Marko’s arm came around her shoulders and she peered up at him. “Are you certain?”
“The offer will not be made again, Ms. Morris.” Hades waggled the scroll in front of her. “Freedom, fame, revenge. It’s all yours for the taking.”
“And all I’d have to do in order to have it is to turn my back on what I know is right.” She shook her head. “The price is too high.”
“This is not a game,” Mordecai injected.
“No,” she agreed. “It’s not.”
Kellsie smiled at Hades. “If you wanted to make an offer, you shouldn’t have made it so much like the movie I was in.” She caught the glint of anger in his eye and knew she’d struck a chord. “It reminded me that the devil never makes a deal that doesn’t ultimately benefit him. Maybe I get my freedom and fame and fortune. But for how long? In the movie, the main character got to enjoy it all for twenty-four hours before dying a most horrendous death.”
She reached up and placed her hand over Marko’s where it rested on her shoulder. “Plus, if you want me gone so badly, that must mean Marko needs me to complete his mission.”
Hades snapped his fingers and the scroll disappeared. “You will die, Ms. Morris. That I promise you. And your soul will be mine.”
She shook her head. “My soul isn’t up for grabs. You might kill me but, as we both know, I’m a survivor. I won’t make it easy for you.”
“Perhaps not. But you’ve put a burden on the bear. Now he has to protect you as well as himself.” Hades smiled slyly. “Should be interesting to see how long it takes for him to throw you to the demons.” The devil turned to Marko. “I’d like to make you an offer.”
Kellsie’s blood went cold as she realized what the devious god was about to do. Hadn’t Mordecai murdered the woman who’d freed him in order to gain his own liberty? She was screwed and she had only herself to blame. For one moment she’d forgotten the cardinal rule—look after yourself because no one else is going to.
She backed away from Marko and his arm slid from her shoulders to fall back by his side. She leaned against the carousel wolf, needing something to keep her upright. She swallowed the lump in her throat. There was nothing she could do to change what was about to happen. Her life was in Marko’s hands.
Marko was still trying to digest what had just happened when Hades made his pronouncement. Deal with the devil. Never. But he’d let him say his piece. It all took time and that was what they needed to do, let the clock run out on their twenty-four hours. He realized then what he’d said. They. Not he.
Kellsie hadn’t left him. She hadn’t taken the offer and run off. He didn’t know of any other woman who would have had the courage to do what she’d done. She’d tossed the devil’s offer back in his face.
Pride warred with fear. He wanted to swing her in his arms and celebrate the fact she hadn’t left him, had chosen to stay and fight by his side. He also wanted to sequester her away in a cave deep in the forest until the fighting was over.
He frowned when she stepped away from him, not understanding why she was distancing herself from him. They were a team now that she’d made her choice.
Then it struck him like a heavy blow to his chest. She expected him to take Hades’ offer, to sacrifice her in order to gain his own freedom. That she would think so little of him to believe he would turn his back on her and accept the devil’s offer hurt him to his very core. Why would she even think such a thing?
The answer came to him sharp and fast. Because no one had ever put her first. She expected betrayal, yet she’d still put her life on the line. For him. For his mission.
Goddess, she was exceptional. And he was going to show her just how much she meant to him as soon as they got out of here.
First he had to deal with Hades. He turned his gaze toward his nemesis. “What are you offering?”
Hades smiled, cruel and calculating. Marko could practically see the wheels turning in the god’s head. He expected to win in spite of the fact only one of the warriors had turned. He kept Mordecai in his peripheral vision but didn’t look straight at him. The other warrior’s betrayal still stung.
“Your freedom, of course. After you’ve done a little job for me first.”
“Of course,” Marko agreed. There was always a price to pay with the gods. That’s why Marko disliked being around them, especially the Greek gods. They were a particularly nasty bunch. The older gods and goddesses had been more content to live in peace. They were brutal when crossed but otherwise benevolent. You knew where you stood with them.
Thankfully, Hades couldn’t read his mind like he could Kellsie’s. He had the goddess to thank for that power. It allowed him to think and plan without the god’s knowledge.
Hades picked a piece of lint from the sleeve of his designer coat and flicked it aside. “It’s not that big a job. Not for someone with your skills.”
Marko scrubbed his hand over his chin and tried to appear as though he was really considering Hades’ offer. “Not big at all. You just want me to lead your army of demons and defeat your brothers so you can steal their powers.”
Hades smiled, his teeth flashing white. “Not all by yourself. You’ll have help.” He indicated Mordecai who stood with his arms crossed, looking stoic.
“Why?” Marko cocked his head to one side and studied the god. Like all gods, Hades was exceptionally handsome. He had power and a domain all his own to rule as he saw fit. Why did he want more?
Hades’ dark eyes glittered like black diamonds. “Why? Because I can, because they’re weak and lazy and don’t deserve what they have.”
Marko’s stomach turned. Power. It always came down to power with the gods. They always wanted more than they had. Well, all except the Lady. She’d been content to let her power fade, knowing she would always have enough to survive because there were always cultures that honored animals and the Earth.
Her warriors had always fought to protect her and their brethren on the Earth when necessary. From what he’d learned, the world had gone to hell, figuratively speaking, without the Lady and her warriors there to keep mankind in balance.
“You want a lot for little,” Marko countered.
Irritation seeped from Hades in waves. “I offer you your life.”
Marko shook his head and held out his arms. “I already have that. Kellsie gave that to me. You couldn’t. I can’t let you take credit for someone else’s work.”
Flames shot from Hades’ fingertips and singed the floor at Marko’s feet. Kellsie gasped as the flames jumped seven feet high, creating a wall of fire before fizzling out. “You try my patience, Bear.”
He politely inclined his head. “I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but facts are facts. I am free because of what the Lady did, not because you were able to free me. What can you offer me?”
“Life beyond the next two minutes,” Hades growled. His eyes were glowing red now, flames jumping behind the black pupils.
“That has value, but there should be more. I don’t want to sell my services too cheap.”
Beside him, Kellsie gasped and he felt her take another step away from him. He wanted to grab her arm to keep her close. Hades was quickly running out of patience, and Marko knew he was going to have to make his move soon. He willed her to understand what he was trying to do. He realized he wanted her to have faith in him, to believe in his honor.
It didn’t matter. Ultimately, all that mattered was getting them both out of here alive and in one piece.
The flames in Hades’ eyes were banked and he grew more thoughtful. “More. Hmm…you negotiate more than your brother did.” He flicked his gaze to Mordecai, who frowned. “Maybe you would make a more fitting general for my demon hordes.”