“Promise?”
He reached around and slid his fingers between her cheeks as he lowered his mouth to hers. “Promise.”
As it turned out, Hades kept his promise. And as it also turned out, everyone knew it.
“Hello, Cataclysm.”
Cat yelped in surprise as she whirled around to face the newcomer who had flashed into the courtyard in front of Azagoth’s manor. She’d just been on her way to the Unfallen dorms to help Lilliana set up a new training program after spending an entire day in bed with Hades, and if she hurried, she could get back in time to join him in the shower.
“Reaver,” she breathed. He stood there next to the fountain, his angelic glow radiating around him. “It’s good to see you again. Azagoth is––”
“I’m not here for Azagoth.” His deep voice rumbled through every cell in her body. “I’m here for you.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Then another. And another, until it felt as if the organ was nothing but a shriveled husk in her chest. What if he was here to finally punish her for her stupidity in helping Gethel conspire against him?
“Me?” she croaked. “Why?”
“Because your actions in preventing the escape of millions of evil souls has earned you a reward.” He smiled, his blue eyes sparkling. “I’m here to give you your wings back.”
She sucked in a harsh breath as relief and joy filled her with such happiness that her body vibrated. He wasn’t here to destroy her! But...why not?
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but...surely you understand what I did to you and your family. You know my history with Gethel, yes?”
Dark shadows flashed in his eyes, and she instantly regretted bringing up the evil bitch who had tried to start the apocalypse. “I am very well aware of your role in Gethel’s machinations. But I also know you didn’t realize the depths of her depravity until it was too late.” The shadows disappeared. “She’s paying for what she did, and you’ve paid the price as well.”
“I’m not sure I have.” She looked down at her bare feet as if her fresh blue nail polish would help her out. “I haven’t apologized to you, either. I’m so sorry, Reaver. I didn’t know what Gethel was planning, but I knew it wasn’t good. I tried to go to Raphael, and he swore he’d look into it, but––”
“He didn’t.”
She shook her head miserably. “No.”
“That’s because he was tangled up in a million different plots to overthrow Heaven and screw me over,” Reaver said. “I’ve always thought your sentence was too harsh, but once I learned that it was Raphael who sentenced you, it made sense. He wanted you out of Heaven because you knew too much.”
“But I didn’t know anything,” she protested.
“I know. But he couldn’t take any chances. Forcing your name on you was unnecessarily cruel, but not exactly a shock. He was, as one of my Seminus demon friends would say, a major dickmunch.” He smirked. “Raphael’s gotta be hating life right now.”
No doubt. Thanks to Reaver and his brother Revenant, Raphael was sharing a ten by ten cage with Satan, Lucifer, and Gethel for the next thousand years. Wasn’t long enough, in Cat’s opinion.
A rabbit scampered across the courtyard. It might have been one that Reaver had brought to repopulate what had once been a dead realm. “So anyway,” Reaver said after it disappeared under a bush, “you’re forgiven. Come home, Cat. You’ll even get your name back.”
Once again, joy engulfed her, as if she’d been swallowed by the sun. The fact that Heaven wanted her back was all she’d wanted when she’d first arrived here, scared and lonely and full of regret. But now...now she was happy. Happier than she’d ever been in Heaven.
“Thank you, Reaver,” she said. “But I’m afraid I’ll have to turn down your offer.”
One blond eyebrow shot up, but given that she’d just refused to get her wings and halo back, she thought he’d have been more surprised. “It’s Hades, isn’t it?”
Now she was the one who was surprised. “Ah...how did you know?”
“It makes sense.” He cocked his head and looked at her with an intensity that made her feel positively naked. “Are you sure you want to stay here as an Unfallen? Your powers are muted, you’re nearly as fragile as a human––”
“I’m sure. I don’t need powers down here, and with people like Hades, Azagoth, Zhubaal, and Lilliana around me, I don’t need to worry about my safety.”