Appointed Read online

  “Even the first Hades was gentle and kind. Perhaps a bit twisted, as most rulers of the underworld need to be. But compassion is something my family believes strongly in. One must when dealing with eternal souls,” Hades said, standing tall.

  With a snap of Lucien’s fingers, a demon entered the circle, holding a young boy around five. “Compassion doesn’t get results, but I can be compassionate when needed. Bring the boy closer.”

  Hades charged forward, and it took four of the demons to hold him back from striking Lucien. “What are you doing with my son?”

  “Not killing him.” Lucien grabbed the boy by his dark, nearly black hair and dug claws into his skull. The boy screamed and cried, and Anj caught sight of the same bright green eyes that Hades had.

  “Stop! Please, don’t hurt him. Denver hasn’t done anything. He’s innocent and—”

  “Will forget everything about this place. Everything you’ve taught him about good and decency. He will live like the demons, with no moral conscience. He will be like my son. And forever he shall be in debt to me, paying for the mistakes you have made. That is the curse I place upon this boy, and it is my first act as the new ruler of this underworld. You may escort our old king to the final cell of the dungeon. Chain him next to our father, Lucifer. I’m sure they have a lot of catching up to do.” Lucien released the young Denver’s head and then kissed it. The boy fell unconscious.

  Lucien faced Hades one more time. “Oh, and I can make someone fall in love with me. I’ve done it a number of times. Women are easy to deceive, and Persephone will be no different. She’ll believe me when I tell her I am her lost love. And we will be husband and wife, thus fulfilling this ancient prophecy and giving the Divine the power they want. That will make them love me all the more. As you can see, I will win. There is no way for me not to. And once I do, everything will change.”

  “You can’t if you’re not Divine,” Hades shouted as he was dragged away.

  ****

  Lucien’s smirk tensed, and he let out a sour-sounding laugh. “Oh what fond memories I’ve made in this place.”

  “Soon you will not be able to make more here,” Anj said as he allowed the voice of one of the ancient Fates to speak through him. He couldn’t help but grin at this new information. The vision wasn’t something he could see, but it was in his gut. Somehow he knew that Lucien would fail, and his instincts were hardly ever wrong.

  “See, that’s why I have you. You’re my insurance.” Lucien gave the glowing blue chain one last flick, and then he left Anj alone.

  Hidden in the dark space outside of the cell, Anj caught a glimpse of green eyes and what he thought was the outline of Denver’s body. He lurked on the staircase leading down further into the dungeon.

  “The heir,” Anj whispered. “He can now return.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Lucien did indeed leave Anj alone for a time. The dreams were fewer and farther apart, which allowed for some time to rest. And when he did have a vision, he saw much pleasanter things.

  ****

  Anj was lying in bed, listening to something on the television. There was nothing to actually see in this vision, but Anj wasn’t about to complain. The blackness was a welcoming and familiar comfort.

  It sounded like cartoons were on the TV, which weren’t what Anj would have ever preferred to watch, but for whatever reason, he knew he didn’t have a choice in the matter. A small hand touched his face, and then he realized why. The cartoons were for the child in bed with him.

  “Daddy, no sleeping,” a little boy said.

  “I’m not sleeping,” Anj whispered, and it was indeed his voice. Perhaps he sounded a bit older, but not by any more than ten years.

  “You better not be,” Jewl said from behind him. “Because he needs to go and sleep in his bed, not with Mommy and Daddy.”

  “No, I sleeping in the big bed!” the boy protested.

  “Teague,” Jewl said sternly. “I told you no. You got to come in here and watch some cartoons. Bad dreams are all gone. You can sleep in your bed now. Besides, you have your big brothers to protect you.”

  The boy began to cry. “No!”

  Anj shifted his weight so he was holding the small boy. And he was small. He couldn’t have been any older than four and that was a stretch. One of his tiny hands wrapped around Anj’s thumb. “Just for tonight. You know how bad the nightmares can be.”

  “Just for tonight always turns into a week,” Jewl pressed.

  “We did it for all the others,” he said.

  “That was before we were experienced and wiser.”

  He laughed. “Hardly.” He stroked the boy’s hair. “He’ll sleep soon. Jewl, I… I think he’s the one. No, I know he’s the one. He’s who I am passing my ability to.”

  “No,” Jewl said tersely, “Absolutely not. I forbid it. We agreed that Cory was going to become my heir, and Alain would be yours. That was the plan. We pinky swore on it and everything.”

  “Alain isn’t who I’m feeling here.” Anj tapped his chest. “I’m sorry. I know we promised so we wouldn’t cause any issues between the twins, but Alain is going to be powerful on his own. I don’t think it will suit him. I’m picking Teague as mine. It feels smooth and silky inside, like peanut butter. I can’t ignore it. You know my gut is hardly ever wrong.”

  She sniffled. “He’s my baby.”

  “They all are.”

  “But him even more so. Are you positive?”

  Anj turned his head so he could kiss her, finding her lips with his own. “The only thing I’ve been more certain about is you.”

  ****

  Anj closed his eyes. My future? He’d never had a dream that confirmed a marriage to Jewl. Now, he had. And not only did he marry her, but they had at least three children together. Twins and another boy. Teague. No, it’s not possible. How could he be… It has to be a coincidence. But his instinct begged for him to consider the possibility. It made sense in a strange sort of way. Teague couldn’t remember anything about where he was from. The demons didn’t want him around. In fact, just about everyone knew he didn’t belong at Vala.

  But my son? Really? Anj felt guiltier than ever for being so short with the boy. Hopefully he would have more patience in the future, and hopefully Teague would have his memories again so he could act his age.

  Applause sounded across the room. Denver stepped into the light where Anj could see him. “Not quite the plot twist I was expecting but definitely an entertaining one.”

  “What do you want?” Anj asked.

  “Don’t cop an attitude with me, or I’ll change my mind about helping you. But I did promise Junior I’d do what I can to save you. Especially since you’ve done such a big thing for me.” Denver began investigating the chains Anj wore. “Man, he’s got you tied down tight. You must have a strong spirit to deserve this much.”

  “So you think it’s true? About Teague? And how have I helped you? I don’t—”

  “Until I saw your latest episode of ‘Lucien’s True Confessions,’ I had no clue who I was. As soon as you had that vision? It’s like it all came back in a whoosh, like someone flipped a light switch. There are a lot of details to sort out, but I mean, that’s huge. I imagine you’re feeling something similar. You did just find out you’re a dad.”

  “In ten years. Not quite something that’s so surprising.”

  “Yeah, but your kid is stuck here in our time. You know what, though? Soon that’s not going to matter. But it does make a lot of other things I’ve heard make sense. Most particularly why your Elder boss guy is so scared of Teague. No wonder he keeps trying to push you away from Jewl.” Denver pulled on the blue chain, and Anj winced. “Sorry, did that hurt?”

  Anj grunted. “Pretty sure you knew it would.”

  “Whatever.” He started to work on the chains down by Anj’s feet. In a matter of seconds, the links were broken.

  “How…?”

  “Did I know about Neil? I have my sources. And if you�
�re wondering how I broke this sucker? You can thank Cheyenne for that one. Without her, I wouldn’t be strong enough to do much of anything,” Denver said. “Look, stop talking so much and this will be a lot easier.”

  I’m not the one who’s doing all of the talking for a change. But Anj held his tongue anyway. One by one the chains were clipped away until the only thing that remained was the blue one. Anj literally floated off the ground.

  Denver had to pull him down by his feet. “Don’t get too excited, buddy. You can’t just fly back. This is the tricky part, and it is going to hurt. A lot.”

  “I don’t care. Just get me home, and fast.”

  “Oh good, I was hoping you’d say that. We gotta do one more thing first.” And just like that, Denver pulled down on the blue chain while at the same time pulling up on Anj’s spirit. That’s the only way the sensation could be described, and the instant he did it, Anj thought he was going to die from the combination of shock and pain. His spirit was ripped away from his body.

  Denver wouldn’t let him leave just yet. He held down on Anj’s spirit, preventing him from floating away. Pressing a hand to his forehead, Denver said in a dark tone, “You will forget everything you saw here. The only thing I want you to remember is pick her.”

  Anj became dizzy and lightheaded. He didn’t want to forget everything he’d learned. He didn’t want to forget about Teague. But whatever Denver was doing to him didn’t leave him with much of a choice. Denver released him, and then it was like being smacked by a truck.

  It took all of two seconds for him to be hurled back into his physical body again. And the instant he was, his eyes opened and he saw nothing but black. Jewl’s fingertips combed through his hair. Everything was exactly as it should be.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Zes went back to waiting outside of his dorm room. He still didn’t want to go to class, and he didn’t want to wait in Teague’s room. Loneliness filled him. All he wanted to do was be close to his brother. From under his shirt, he pulled out the obsidian pendant hanging around his neck. Once again he stared into its surface, contemplating using its powers. The last time he’d tried hadn’t gone over too well, but all Anj was doing was sleeping. There would be nothing else for Zes to see, and at least he’d be able to check up on his brother himself for a change.

  “All right,” he whispered. “Show me Anj.”

  Nervously, he gazed into the mirror and saw his brother lying by Jewl. She was awake, but barely. Both of them looked peaceful and relaxed, and that helped Zes do the same. Well, relax at least, but peace wasn’t so easy to come by. He watched his brother, wishing he could be there in person. That’s when he noticed the image shift. Zes could still see his twin fast asleep, but he also noticed something else. Blue glowing eyes and chains surrounded by darkness overlapped the picture.

  “Is that…?” Zes narrowed his eyes, concentrating on the second image, and gasped. It’s Anj. But how could his brother be in two places at once?

  Anj was speaking, but Zes couldn’t hear the words. Then Anj winced as if he were in a lot of pain. Someone was holding him captive. More talking, and Zes caught a glimpse of another person in the room with his brother. It took a moment to focus on the picture, but when he did, he dropped the pendant. Denver was there? He was saying something to Anj, and then the darker image faded away and all that was left was Anj lying in bed. But now his eyes were opened.

  Zes peered into the pendant and then leaped to his feet. “He’s awake!”

  Ward against the Dark or not, nothing was going to stop Zes from seeing his brother. He unlocked the door, clenched his teeth together, and walked through. I have to see him. It’s only ten feet to the bedroom and another three to the bed. I can do this. His arm was on fire, but he wasn’t going to let it stop him.

  He made his way through the den, opened the door to the bedroom, and couldn’t help but shed happy tears when he noticed how both Jewl and Anj perked up in the bed.

  “You’re awake!” Jewl squealed with glee and hugged Anj around the neck.

  “Can’t breathe,” he wheezed. “Gentle. Kind of sore.”

  Zes knelt down by the bed, unable to support his weight with all of the pain. But he needed to be closer. He grabbed Anj’s hand, squeezing it. Taking in deep, slow breaths to control the pain, he closed his eyes. “I…”

  Jewl touched Zes’s shoulder gently. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “What? Why?” Anj asked in a hoarse voice.

  “There are wards and—” Jewl started.

  “And I’m fine,” Zes insisted. “I’m great.” And he was. Despite all the pain, he was whole again, and that made everything worth it.

  Anj closed his eyes. “Let me go to the bathroom. Then I think I can walk. We can go for one of those, and you can catch me up? Just the two of us?”

  For a moment, Zes thought he was referring to Jewl. As much as it hurt him to hear, he held his tongue because they didn’t need to fight anymore.

  “Zes, if you’re nodding, I can’t tell. Remember?” Anj teased, his voice a little rough sounding.

  Zes looked at his brother. “Huh?”

  “I asked you if that was okay? To go for a walk?”

  “If you’re feeling up to it, yeah.”

  Anj paused. “I can wiggle my toes so that’s a good sign, right? We’ll go slow.”

  “The doctors won’t like it.” Jewl shook her head.

  “They’ll get over it,” Anj said, and sat up slowly. With much care, he got off the bed. “Jewl, help me to the bathroom? Zes, get me something to wear and then meet me outside the room. If there are wards giving you problems, I don’t want you passing out on me.”

  “S-sure,” Zes said. And while Jewl escorted his brother to the bathroom, Zes went to find something comfortable and easy for Anj to change into. Then he left the room. The pain stopped instantly.

  ****

  “So you don’t know what happened at all?” Zes asked his brother while they walked through the hallways of the school.

  Classes were in session, and they made sure to stay in the less crowded areas. Ideally, they’d be outside where no one else was, but it was so cold out. They stayed close to where most of the college-level classes were instead. If any of their peers happened to try and get close, Zes politely deterred them away. Anj did not need anyone overwhelming him. Plus, Zes was a little selfish. He wanted to hog his brother for the time being.

  Anj shook his head. “I’m sure something did, but you know how dreams are. If you catch the sleep patterns just right, you don’t remember anything. Good news is, I have a lot of energy. I mean, I feel great outside of being a little sore. Body feels a little off too, but the walking helps.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go see the medical staff?” Zes glanced at him.

  “They’ll sit me down and tell me to take it easy. I can do that later. If they want to stop me, they’re going to have to force me.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past them. They’re pretty tough.” Zes was teasing for the most part.

  Anj played with his hands in front of him. “Does Mom—”

  “No, I was going to call her today, but you miraculously woke up. I decided we could keep this to ourselves for the time being.”

  “Thanks, because I have a feeling she’ll pull me out of classes and—”

  “Make things miserable all around with her babying? I know, which is why I begged them to just let you rest for a few days and hoped you’d get better instead of worse,” Zes said. “If Mr. Thantos hadn’t been there to back me up, it probably wouldn’t have happened.”

  Anj laughed. “See, he’s not all bad.”

  “No.” But he is creepy.

  “So tell me what I missed. I want to know all of the gossip. Don’t leave anything out.”

  With a chuckle, Zes led his brother down the stairs. “Chey and I made up, sort of. I mean, we’re not dating, but we’re civil. I told her she could eat with us again so long as it’s just her and Halyn,
how it’s supposed to be, but maybe I’ll lift the Denver ban soon.” He felt like he owed the guy one. If Zes had seen Denver in the mirror, then Denver had done something to help Anj. It couldn’t have been to harm him, because shortly after, Anj had woken up.

  “Big step, what happened? I mean, what made you change your mind?” Anj asked.

  Zes shrugged. “I owe him one. Still hate his guts, and I’m pretty sure he and Chey are a thing officially. You know, people talk. She’s been trying to keep things low-key for my sake, but honestly? He can have her.”

  “You still love her?”

  “Like that clichéd saying, I always will, but something isn’t quite right. Like I’m not so sure she’s it anymore. Maybe deep down, I kind of always knew that but didn’t want to believe it.”

  Anj reached up and rubbed Zes’s shoulder. “A tough call to make. Anything else happen?”

  “Lived with Teague for a day more than I ever want to. Kid talks, a lot. I mean, I thought you never shut up.” He nudged his brother, making sure it was clear he was only teasing. “Told me all about his confusing love web with Halyn and how fascinating clouds are. He also loves the dog and is more than happy to puppysit for us. Which is where Guy is now, by the way. Other than that, everyone has been talking about you.”

  “Anything juicy?”

  “No. Everyone thinks you got some kind of weird virus. Someone suggested you caught it from a mosquito, but that died off fast once everyone realized it’s the middle of winter and mosquitoes are kind of dead at the moment.”

  “Bummer.” Anj pouted. “At least I didn’t miss anything good.”

  “It’d be the end of the world if you ever do, right?”

  “Precisely.”

  They were both smiling, which was such a nice change from the last time they spoke. “Look, I said some bad things to you earlier, and I shouldn’t have said them.”

  Anj shook his head. “We don’t need to talk about it. I know you were angry and lashing out, just like you know when I do it. It stung, but I got over it. Besides, some of it I did admittedly deserve.”