“Already there.” Rune laid his palm over my heart.
Braxen did the same, then Merrick. I held their hands to me and sent a prayer to Hades,Thank you, Hades. Thank you for my life and the gift of yourself. I will look after these pieces of you as best I can. I swear this as Lomasi, the last of the Tsimikiti.
I didn't expect an answer, but one came to me in my mind, Hades's deep voice shivering through me,I know you will, Lomasi. And you are not the last.
A warmth centered in my belly, and I gasped as the God's meaning became clear.
“What is it?” Rune asked.
I moved their hands down my body to where I knew life was beginning inside me. “We're having a child.”
The men gaped at me, then they hooted and whooped, lifting me off my feet to kiss my lips and then my belly.
Another honk came.
“Yeah, yeah!” Rune shouted. “Give us a moment. We just found out we're going to be fathers!”
We laughed and hugged, and I thanked Hades one last time.
Laughter trickled through my mind just before he said,I had nothing to do with that.
Epilogue
Hades, God of the Underworld, Master of Hounds, Lord of Death, etcetera, was very pleased with himself. He lounged back in his leather chair before an unnecessary fireplace and sipped his expensive brandy. Not that he had paid for it. He was a god; he paid for nothing. Still, that didn't mean he didn't appreciate the value of things.
“You need to be careful.” Persephone, Hades's wife, the Goddess of Spring, the most beautiful woman in all the realms, and the love of his very long life, strode into the room.
The breath caught in Hades's throat. It did every time he saw her, even after all these years. Persephone was loveliness incarnate. Glossy hair, the color of rich soil, flowed down to her waist in thick waves. Her fair skin was flushed at the cheeks and nose, her bright green eyes were framed with long lashes, and her full lips were naturally dark pink.
“Did you hear me, Hades?” she demanded as she sat down beside him.
Hades took her hand and lifted it for a kiss. “I'm afraid you're too far away, my love. My aged ears are failing me. Come closer.”
Persephone snorted but slid under his arm and nestled against his chest. With her where she belonged, Hades felt at peace, his happiness skyrocketing.
“I'm glad more Cerberuses are finding love, but you risked too much with this last one.”
“I don't know what you're talking about.” Hades kissed her forehead, then offered her his drink.
Persephone pushed the glass away. “Hades, I know about the paintings.”
“What paintings?”
“The paintings of the warriors.”
“What warrior paintings?”
She made a sound of amusement and exasperation. “Stop playing games. There are no secrets between us. I know you inspired Lomasi to paint them.”
“I am no muse.” He sipped his drink.
“I find you very amusing,” Persephone said.
Hades chuckled. “And why would I inspire her to paint them? It's better for them to not know their pasts. I decided that when I made the very first of them.”
“I don't think you believe that anymore, especially not after you saw their reaction to those paintings.” Persephone straightened to meet Hades's stare. “And they were just a cover.”
“A cover?”
