“I barely managed to pick up most of their names. I think I need you to give me the rundown of who is who.”
There was an air of frustration to her words, which I understood. It never felt good being the least informed member of a group. Merri wanted to make up for lost time.
Sin, the most social of us, eagerly jumped into the breakdown.
“Okay, settle in. Sunday is the daughter of War, and she’s mated to a vampire, a shifter, a Viking, and a priest. That really sounds like the setup to a great joke... Anyway, they have a baby who nearly ended the world. Asher and Pan are the sonsof Pestilence. Pan is the fruit of Malice’s loins, but Asher isn’t. I’m pretty sure you knew that, but just in case. Didn’t want you walking around thinking you had two stepsons.”
“Get on with it, Sinclair,” Chaos growled.
“Fine, fine. Pan and Asher are mated to Rosie. She’s Sunday’s vampire mate’s little sister. Also a vampire. Rosie is mated to those two and Ben, Remi, and Gavin. Five against one. Man, that's a lot of dicks.”
Merri giggled as Sin gathered his composure.
“Lastly, there’s Dahlia.”
“I know her. I became friendly with her at Blackwood.”
“Yeah, that’s right. She’s an author. She writes those spicy books you like.”
If I were closer to him, I’d elbow him in the ribs just to steer him back on track. But thankfully, he continued on.
“She’s Death’s daughter, gag, and powerful as fuck. She’s mated to Hades, Kai, Tor, and Caspian. If you don’t want to get dragged into a long conversation about how he’s an infamous pirate, you should probably steer clear of that one. He’s a bit of a windbag.”
All of us gave Sin a pointed glare. “What an annoying habit,” I drawled.
Completely oblivious to my insult, Sin nodded. “I know, right? Like, read the room, buddy. No one cares.”
“So those are the three groups most closely connected to the horsewomen. The rest are pack, clan, or blood. Well, and the angels. They are loyal to each other and our cause.” Grim stood and strolled into the kitchen, avoiding the broken dishes Chaos had left in his wake. He poured himself a generous serving of brimstone whiskey before leveling his gaze on Merri. “That brings you up to speed. The last group is?—”
“Us,” Merri said softly.
“Us,” Chaos agreed.
“What did everyone think when the four of you stormed into their lives? I can’t imagine it was a warm welcome given their experiences with your counterparts. Wait. Howdidyou join up with them, by the way? I don’t think you ever told me that story.”
Grim cleared his throat and averted his gaze, which made Sin smirk.
“Let’s just say it involved a bunch of demons outside ofIniquity,” Chaos said before Sin could embarrass Grim.
“Lilith and her entourage found us and joined the fray. Once it was over, we all left together,” Grim added.
“But you’re leaving out the best part!” Sin exclaimed. “Grim got turned to stone by a gorgon. Full statue. He was so pissed.”
Merri’s eyes were round as she glanced between them. I could practically feel the questions bubbling up in her mind, but she was wise enough not to voice any of them.
“That sounds . . . like a lot,” she managed.
“When isn’t it?” I asked.
She snickered. “Yeah, fair point.” Then she sobered. “Okay, so that explains the connections to the horsewomen. And why they still have a vested interest in this thing. Do you think Lucifer is actually running the show? Or do you think they’re using him?”
It was an astute question. One that none of the others in the Hades Society had thought to ask. Which just proved how well Merri understood our kind.
“I wouldn’t put it past them to be manipulating him, but I can’t say for sure,” I said. “They’ve pulled the wool over our eyes more than once.”
Merri came to me then, taking my hand and running her thumb over the tops of my knuckles. “So could they have Pan and Sunday? I don’t know when Luc would have had the opportunity to take them.”
“It’s highly likely, whether they’re in cahoots or not,” Sin murmured.
