He nodded. “Cool. But know that if you change your mind, the offer will remain open as long as you don’t do anything to betray Heaven or Earth. And you do understand that you could accept my offer and still be able to travel in the human and heavenly realms while living and working here in Sheoul-gra, yes?”
“I understand. But Hades resides in the Inner Sanctum, and as a fully haloed angel it would be far too dangerous for me to live there with him.” She laid her hand on his forearm reassuringly but pulled it back before his Heavenly goodness burned her skin to ash. “Being Unfallen puts me at a serious disadvantage everywhere but here. Here, it’s actually more protection than if I were an angel. I’m okay with it, Reaver. Really. Not everyone has to have badass superpowers to be something special.”
“Can I at least give you the ability to choose your own name? Or give Nova back to you? It’s a beautiful name.”
A lump formed in her throat. That was the first time anyone had spoken her Heavenly name in months. It brought back memories, so many of them, both good and bad. But it was her past, not her future.
“Nah,” she said. “I’m happy with who I am now. Raphael tried to shame me when he gave me my fallen angel name, but I won’t let him do that anymore. I’ll keep it to remind me to make wise choices.”
“Then so be it.” He pulled her into a brief embrace. “Be happy, Cataclysm.”
Then he was gone, and she was holding empty air.
Chapter Twenty
One month after moving in with Hades, their new “crypt” was finally finished.
Azagoth had completely removed all restrictions on Hades, and they now had a decent house that matched the ancient Greek style of the rest of Sheoul-gra. Unfortunately, Hades had been so busy meting out punishment to the demons who had participated in the uprising that he hadn’t had much time to enjoy it.
She’d taken today off from her new job working with the Unfallen, and she was going to make Hades do the same. They needed some quality time together, and she had the most amazing picnic planned.
He was at the Rot, as usual, which, besides their home, was the only place she was allowed to go in the Inner Sanctum. He’d taken her once to Cloud Cuckoo Land so she could thank the demons who had loaned her and Hades their home, but he’d made it clear that it was far too dangerous to do it again.
She finished dressing in a cute violet and black plaid skirt and a black tank top and gave the little wooden dog on Hades’s desk a stroke along its back and tail, laughing when it snapped at her. It was a silly little ritual she’d developed every time she left the house. Hades had promised to make her a tiny cat to match, but he’d see if he could enchant it to purr instead of bite.
Rubbing her belly in a futile attempt to quell the anxious flutters, she stepped into the portal and arrived at the Rot a heartbeat later. She hated this place, couldn’t help but think of the spider room every time she was there.
Malonius was at the entrance, and he gave her directions to some sort of classroom in the prison’s upper tower where Hades was supposed to be dealing with a group of unruly incubi. She could only imagine what kind of punishments would be doled out to sex demons.
She climbed the narrow, winding stone staircase and found Hades sitting on a stage before a horrified audience. As she entered through the door behind the stage, Hades spoke, reading from a book in his hands.
“Fill me with your filthy pee stick.” He paused for dramatic effect. “And lick my lush, melon-like boobies.”
She tripped over her own feet. Pee stick? Boobies? What the hell?
“Come on, boy,” Hades drawled, his voice pitched high as he read from what was clearly a woman’s point-of-view. “My old * needs some young meat.”
Cat cleared her voice to announce her presence, although, really, it was more like choking. Hades looked over his shoulder, his face split in a wide grin.
“Baby! Hey, it’s good to see you.” He waggled his brows as he gave her outfit a once-over. “It’s especially good to see you in that.”
She looked out at the roomful of demons, all human in appearance, as they sat in their too-small chairs, their eyes wild, their faces pale. Clearly, they were miserable.
“What are you doing?”
Hades held up the book. “I’m reading bad porn to a captive audience.”
“Bad porn? Bad? That’s a compliment. Whatever it is you’re reading is horrifying. Whoever wrote it should be roasted slowly over a bed of coals.”
Hades’s grin widened. “I like the way you think.” He waggled his brows. “Wanna play with my pee stick?”
She did, but not until he stopped calling it a pee stick. “Is that an actual offer or are you just having fun saying ‘pee stick’?”
“Tell you what,” he said, bounding to his feet. “What do you say we head back to my place, and I’ll whip us up a nice pot of mac and cheese––the good kind in the blue box––and you can tell me what you like to call dicks.”