The Alpha's Mother-In-Law's Forbidden Love (The Cresta Chronicles)

Hades POV

No longer would he call himself Melisande!

Melisande Bracknell had willingly given up her body and mind to him. The heart that beat in the woman's breast belonged to Hades now. Melisande had gone to the Celestial Plane. 

The Dark Goddess purred in Melisande's ear. "You think you're safe in this fragile, dried-out body? I'll make you pay. You'll be in agony. Every nerve will torment you. Your very blood will be like fire. Your bones will ache."

"Mission accomplished," Hades snarled through Melisande's pale lips. 

Jiro Cresta murmured in his ear, "Don't give in. Fight! Fight as Cyran fought. I know you still love him, as much as you're capable of such an emotion. He's your blood."

D*mn this interfering, self-righteous Alpha.

D*mn him for being absolutely right. 

Hades jerked and writhed, as if he could throw off the Dark Goddess with such frenzied motions. Of course, he couldn't destroy her. Even her own sister couldn't destroy her. Always opposing each other, locked in hatred and combat for all eternity.

"Only when the twenty-four belong to the dark will the darkness slide across the world," he said without knowing where the words came from. Maybe a memory from ages and lifetimes long past. "Only when orcs lose their minds and shifters put leashes on humans will the darkness claim the realm. Unless the crystal heart of the world beneath the tree of fire is filled, the darkness will always seek to conquer."

He finished speaking and listened to the spirits and to his intuition to see if they revealed anything else.

"That's very good." Garnet spoke gently in his ear, and he leaned on her for support, his hand finding her slender arm. It felt cool and supple beneath his touch. "You're doing so well. You're battling her, in your way. Maybe you're tired of fighting."

"'M tired," he mumbled. "So tired."

"Then rest," Garnet whispered softly. "Rest, and let us take you to a place where we can protect you."

He laughed, a howling, mirthless sound. "YOU? Protect me?"

Morgana's soft hands gripped him. "Listen to them, Absalom."

"HADES."

"You're Absalom to me," she said, resisting his wishes as always.

"And to me."

Cyran's voice echoed in the hallway and everyone perked up at the sound.

Dane shook his head. "That sneaky ex-Alpha."

Cyran continued, as if Dane hadn't spoken. "I'm trying a new spell, projecting my voice over a great distance. It's the 'Master's Voice' spell. I learned about it from an old book in the Wildefell Witch Circle Library. I'm here to tell you all to help Hades fight off the Dark Goddess. You all know what's at stake if the Dark Goddess destroys Hades' new body. You all know what will happen. It's better that we keep Hades in the body of the former Melisande Bracknell so we can keep an eye on him."

Hades felt a surge of affection and pride for his former pupil, his descendant, and the only being he truly cared about. "Cyran, I'm touched."

"And it's strictly business for me," Cyran said in a deadpan voice. "You're an asset, nothing more. After all you've done, do you really expect anything different?"

Hades laughed ruefully. "No."

A wave of pain hit him, and the ceiling spun. "Whose idea was it to make this corridor rotate?" he grumbled.

Garnet's fingers dug into his arm, and so did Morgana's. "Center yourself," Garnet urged. "Breathe in. Breathe out. Inhale. Exhale. Think of something happy, if you can. A happy time."

A happy memory?

When was the last time he was truly happy?

His mind scrambled for a memory, even just an image.

A moonlit lake. He saw Murmuring Lake outside of Sinsworth House. The lake serpents were playing, and he felt amazement that they could move so gracefully and effortlessly. The water ran down their slender, scaly bodies. 

Cyran's voice echoed around him. "Stay with that memory, whatever it is. Stay with it. Hold onto it with all your might. I can feel it. I can feel the contentment within you."

Hades hadn't felt this connection with anyone else. His prize, his golden boy, his pupil. 

His betrayer.

But no, that wasn't quite right. Cyran gave him what he asked for. Full of rage, he tried to kill Hades. It was a magnificent moment.

* * * * *

THREE YEARS AGO

Cyran's powers slammed Hades onto the floor of a council building in some village in Crimsontail territory. Hades gasped. "Now, that's more like it."

"MURDERER," Cyran shouted.

"There's blood on your hands, Cyran. Don't think there isn't!"

The others, such as Dane, Jude, Garnet, and the other Alphas, all blathered on, but Hades could only focus on Cyran.

Hades staggered to his feet, and every word wound Cyran up. 

"My first apprentice was a shifter wizard. I can't even remember his name. But he was a sweet, bookish boy. A Sinsworth. Not an Alpha, though. Oh, no."

A sharp black energy lance flew from Hades' staff and embedded itself in Cyran's thigh. He looked like he didn't even feel the pain. He just kept walking toward Hades, ready to burn him. 

A sphere of Trueburn hit Hades and made him howl in pain and pride.

"This apprentice could have given me what I wanted. Oh yes. He just didn't have the power. Not like you, Cyran. And not like your sister. She's more powerful than you. Unfortunately, she wasn't what I needed. You see, it could only be a shifter wizard. She's very specific."

It was too bad. Garnet Sinsworth Cresta was impressive.

More Trueburn struck Hades and he writhed in pain,

""Who is she? Why did you need a shifter wizard?" Cyran demanded.

* * * * *

The Dark Goddess' voice intruded into his memory. "PATHETIC FOOL. Why, you're mooning over the boy!"

Hades growled. "I am not!"

"You spineless–"

Ravyn's brisk voice interrupted. "That'll be quite enough of your bullying!"

For the first time, Hades truly hoped that someone here could put the Dark Goddess in her place. For the first time, he was pinning all his hopes on his enemies.

He would rather burn forever with Trueburn rather than surrender and trust the Crestas.

* * * * *

Ravyn POV

Sensing Jude beside her ready to attack their invisible foe, Ravyn stood, defying the Dark Goddess. She bombarded Hades with purple and golden light, bathing him in the glow of love and healing. He might be a tough case and resist her cures, but she had to keep the Dark Goddess at bay.

Jude growled, "Dark Goddess, your power is waning. Hades gave up your true agenda. You don't have as strong a grip on hm as you'd like us to believe."

"Go back to your miserable pack, Jude Faolan," the demon said with disdain. "Go back and grovel before your pathetic wise woman."

Ravyn sneered, "Typical. You wouldn't know real spiritual power if it came up and bit you."

"And you, Ravyn Faolan. You've always had delusions of grandeur." 

The fiend's voice came from somewhere, sounding as if it were speaking from far away, just like Cyran. Oppressive and draining, the feeling of a dark pall hanging over the corridor made Ravyn think that the fiend was close by, watching them struggle.

The Dark Goddess continued. "That's why Daxius went to that tavern–"

Daxius flooded the corridor with brilliant flashing multicolored light. "BEGONE! No more using my family's pain to prop yourself up!"

Howling in rage, the Dark Goddess sounded desperate, not domineering. Exhausted, not eternally powerful. Cowed, not conquering.

"Your reign is coming to an end," Lilia shouted, her voice full of courage and strength. "You can't escape. You're going to be eclipsed by your sister!"

The witches and wizards wove shimmering light around Hades, like a cloak. Ravyn spotted dark energy trying to claw its way through the protective shield. The hatred coming from it nearly made her pass out, and she leaned on Jude for support.

"You won't have him," Cyran's voice shouted.

A blast of dark energy hit Melisande's body, and it shuddered all over, writhing under the deadly assault from the Dark Goddess. Unearthly, chilling screams made everyone, especially the shifters, cover their ears.

"YOU WILL ALL PAY FOR THIS," the Dark Goddess shrieked. "You'll never have Hades! He's MINE. I own him. I'm his master! And I'll see him blown into oblivion, never to return to this world, before I let you have him!"

The entire tower trembled beneath Ravyn's feet, and she prayed to the Goddess Brigid and the Moon Goddess that the Dark Goddess was just trying to scare them.

Then, the entire building shook, and Ravyn knew their rescue attempt was in trouble!