Hades' Cursed Luna novel Chapter 22

Hades~

"Come in," I said after the knock at my door.

In stepped the twins, my thetas. One could call them henchmen, but all I knew was that they got the job done. But it seemed that I had been far too liberal with them. They had set my plans back ten paces.

They bowed low as I watched them.

"Your Majesty..."

One tried to speak, but a single hand stopped him. "I did not call you here for an apology nor an explanation. I have no use for those." I steepled my hands in front of me.

I gestured for them to look down, and when they finally saw it, they went pale as ghosts. On my desk were two injections filled with Nerexylin up to the 100ml mark.

"Your Majesty..." they both echoed.

"Inject yourselves," I ordered, Cerberus’ voice echoing with mine as the words left my mouth.

They both froze as if they were robots before obeying, reaching for the injections, their faces twisted with horror at what they were about to do to themselves. But they had no choice; their will did not matter—only mine did.

As they injected themselves, I watched until every last drop had been forced into their bloodstream.

"The dose could kill you, but it’s not a guarantee," I told them. "If you survive this, you can return to work, but if not, I will ensure that your paycheck is sent to your family. Get out."

I could already see their struggle with the drug. They would most likely pass out once they reached their quarters.

"She is really something," Kael, who had been sitting on the couch looking through papers, remarked.

I did not need to ask who he was speaking about. Who else would it be? "Quite the character," I replied dryly.

"If she weren’t a tyrannical royal, I would be impressed. There hasn’t been a dull moment since she got here." Kael seemed amused, but it was no surprise—he was easily entertained.

"So...," he continued, flipping a page as if it were the most mundane task in the world. "You going to tell me what’s really going on, or are we sticking with the whole ’mysterious stoic king’ routine?" He was trying to lighten the mood. He could feel my blood still boiling beneath the surface.

I raised an eyebrow, steepling my fingers in front of me. "Get your feet off my desk."

Kael smirked but didn’t move. "Ah, the classic deflection. You’re getting predictable, Your Majesty."

Anyone else would be dead by now. Kael, though—he somehow knew just how far to push before crossing the line. It was almost an art form. Almost.

"I mean it," I said, my voice a quiet warning.

Kael dropped his feet to the floor, his smirk still plastered on his face. "Alright, alright. But you know, you’re not fooling me. She’s getting under your skin, isn’t she?"

I exhaled slowly, resisting the urge to engage. That was Kael’s gift—he could make me talk when I didn’t want to. It was infuriating, but also... useful.

"Careful, Kael. There’s only so much I’ll tolerate," I muttered, though the edge in my voice was less harsh than it should have been. Anyone else would have been trembling by now, but fear could not be found in my beta’s vocabulary.

Kael’s grin widened. "Tolerate? Please, Hades, you’d miss me if I were gone. Who else would entertain you with my brilliant wit and dazzling charm?"

I glanced at him, deadpan. "I could have you thrown out of that window, you know."

"You could try." He stretched his arms out, not the least bit concerned. "But you’d miss my sparkling personality. Admit it."

He had a way of tempering the flames of my fury. I guess I did owe him, so I tolerated a bit of his irritating presence.

I said nothing, turning back toward the window. He wasn’t wrong. Kael’s humor, as insufferable as it could be, was something I’d grown oddly accustomed to. He was the only one who dared joke like that in my presence.

"She’s trouble," Kael mused, tapping the papers. "And you love it."

I didn’t answer, but Kael, being Kael, continued anyway. "Come on, admit it, Your Majesty. If she were anyone else, you’d have dealt with her by now."

He was wrong, and he knew it. He was the one that knew the details of my plans as well as I did. He knew her use to me.

"You’re pushing your luck," I grumbled.

"Luck? Nah, just charm." He grinned, standing up and stretching. "But seriously, she’s something else. Quite the character, don’t you think?"