Bonus Chapter - The Underworld Welcomes Calvin

MADDOX

It was finally here – a day that I had been looking forward to for the past twenty-four years ever since Hades told Beauty what was going to happen. Today was the day that Beauty and I would be visiting Calvin in the Underworld.

Some might assume that it was fucked up for someone to be excited to see their biological parent in an eternal prison that was reserved for the worst offenders within the supernatural world. I did not give a fuck about what those people thought because he fucking deserved eternal torment for everything that he had done in life. Not to mention that he had tortured my mate, and that simply served to intensify my murderous thoughts when it came to my sperm donor.

Calvin was never a father to me. I highly doubted that there was even an ounce of empathy inside of him unless it was self-serving. He might not have been a father, but I did indeed have one. Theo had taken me under his wing and taught me what it meant to be a man, mate, father, and Alpha. He taught me that it was okay to be vulnerable and to be afraid. Hell, he even taught me that it was okay to cry.

Mom had been right all of those years ago that Theo and Brynn would give me all types of parental love that I needed. It had always amazed me that they embraced me as if I was their own biological son.

Something that I would never admit out loud was the fact I craved making my family proud of me. First and foremost was Beauty. She would always be the most important person in my life. Then it was Brynn and Theo. Ah, could not forget about our pups. I certainly always wanted to make them proud. When the time came for me to leave this world, I prayed that I made their lives better and left them with good memories.

“It’s so not fair that we can’t come with you.” Nadine pouted.

A smirk tugged at my lips. She really did feel left out. Hades had approved for her and Alex to come along if they wanted to, but Beauty and I had not mentioned it because we were enjoying all of the different ways that she was trying to convince us to take her.

Alex bit his lip to keep from chuckling. She smacked him good the last time that he did it. We were happy when their bond snapped into place directly after she was rejected by the douchebag fucker that never deserved her. Alex was exactly who she needed in life, and he made her incredibly happy. It was a win-win.

“C’mon, Dad.” She clasped her hands together and placed them underneath her chin. “I feel like my life won’t be complete until I can look the fucker in the face and laugh at him.”

I gripped her shoulders and stared her down for a solid minute.

“What do I get if you get to tag along?” I asked here, raising a brow up in question.

Her head tilted to the side in thought. I noticed the aha moment and was curious to know what she would offer.

“I’ll be your partner for the Dark Moon Games.”

The Dark Moon Games was a fun annual pack-wide tournament. Everyone was able to participate, but they were classed based on their ability. That way you were paired against people of the same caliber. There was more fairness that way. 

“That’s a fucking deal!”

I grinned because we would be going up against Beauty and Deliliah. They were going to be serious competition. It was bound to be a fucking blast come next month.  

Beauty rushed into the room. She was tying her hair up in a loose bun at the top of her head. Fuck. She looked sexy as hell in those black leather pants and crimson halter top.

Goddess fucking damn…

I groaned inwardly. Those pants fit her body like a fucking glove, showing off her gorgeous blend of feminine curves and warrior physique. Her halter top did the exact same thing. My mouth watered and dick throbbed hard.

‘If you can keep your lust in check then I’ll ride you tonight until we both drop, stallion,’ Beauty whispered through the mindlink.

‘So, that’s your game.’ Teeth caught my tongue piercing, knowing exactly what it did to her. ‘You wanted to torture me with that outfit and make me wait to fuck you senseless. That’s okay. I’ll just make sure to torture you right back once we’re done. You’ll be begging to come long before I allow it.’

Her eyes darkened for a moment before she reined herself in.

Nadine and Alex were looking between us with knowing smirks on their faces. Our offspring held no shame. They were raised by a badass Mama and a father who was blunt as fuck and refused to walk on eggshells. So, it was only fitting that Alex was the same way as his mate to complement her.

There were three ways to get to the Underworld. The first was while we were asleep, and Hades would pull our consciousness there. The second was by death when our souls would be pulled there. The third one was for Hades to open up a portal for us. That was how we would be getting there today.

Nyx, Nadine’s Hellhound, appeared next to her. Davina and Fury appeared next to Beauty and me.

A red portal opened up. Jaxon was standing beside Hades who had his arm wrapped around Claudette. She was Jaxon’s mother and Hades’ mate. This was the very first time that I personally saw her, but Beauty had previously shared the memory of what happened after we killed Draxthi.

Goddess, that war felt like it was forever ago. So much had occurred since then, but the memory of it would always remain. The pain of losing Beauty, even though it was not permanent, would remain with me for as long as I lived.

Jaxon came over and greeted us all. He had been instrumental in helping me to hone my Demigod powers until I had perfect control over it all. We were roughly the same power level, which turned out to be on the more powerful side. Not all Demigods were created equal. He and I were on the top tier though.

Our families had gotten really close over the years. He had become like a brother to me and someone that I greatly admired.

Hades and Claudette approached us. This was the first time that Nadine and Alex would have personally met one of the Gods besides Selene and Mom.

We watched as their spines stiffened and heads bowed to him. Hades just rolled his eyes and pulled them into a quick hug instead, laughing heartily.

“Dad’s super relaxed if you can’t tell. He hates formalities,” Jaxon said as he smirked at them.

Nadine cleared her throat and chuckled. That alone broke the invisible tension. It was interesting that most of the Gods and Goddesses that we had met were actually fairly laid back. They certainly were not the prim and proper pictures that many people had envisioned. Plus, there was not usually the whole ‘I’m a fucking God, hear me roar and bow down, fuckers’ going on either.

We followed Hades as he was taking us to where Calvin was. Honestly, I was surprised that he had survived twenty-four years in Carceris Doloris. I knew for a fucking fact that they thoroughly enjoyed torturing him.

I asked what caused Calvin’s death. Apparently, he attacked one of the guards and nearly killed him with Calvin getting himself killed in the process. It was an unfortunate circumstance, but at least he was here at long last.

Beauty had been here multiple times throughout the years so that she could cleanse darkness from newcomers. It was a truly brutal torture method, one that I gave my fucking stamp of approval for. She was very empathetic by nature, so this allowed her to get some form of justice for all of the victims of the fuckers that she cleansed.

My hand found its way to her ass while we were walking through the marble corridors, not missing the shudder that went down her spine when I groped her. Who could blame me for taking each opportunity that presented itself to touch her?

I had to admit that I liked the lightness that was seen all around us. It was the opposite of what many people would assume the Underworld would be like.

There were various levels, each one housing certain clearance levels. The worst of the worst were found at the deepest portion, surrounded by stimuli that was meant to drive them insane. Psychological warfare was fucking brilliant. There were many more possibilities to torture them that way.

Nadine, Alex, and Hades were in the middle of a deep conversation about the ins and outs of the Underworld. He ran a very effective operation. Magic provided the hell loops, which would be the realities that they lived through. It was often the worst experience in their life or a collection of them.

There were two guards standing on either side of a white door. It was covered in runes, but I had absolutely no fucking idea what it said or did. However, there was unmistakable power emanating from it.

The guards bowed their heads and opened the door for us.

I could not stop the chuckle that burst from my lips even if I had tried. It seemed that I was not the only one in that boat though.

Calvin was strung up, his body in an upside-down Y formation. However, his feet were positioned so that he was on his tippytoes. His body looked to be at least eighty, was emaciated, and covered in the scars that he had received during his extended prison vacation. It would appear that he kept whatever bodily effects he had.

“Of course, hand it over,” Hades told Nadine, clearly picking something up from her thoughts.

She grinned widely, unlocked the phone, and passed it over to him. Then she pulled Alex over to where Calvin was.

We were laughing our asses off as they did various poses, including the infamous one from Charlie’s Angels. Then Hades passed the phone over to Jaxon and went to pose with them as well.

Fucking hell. I had thought that the best part of this trip would be fucking with Calvin, but this right here was even better, especially as music began playing when he snapped his fingers. An impromptu dance routine began the moment that a bunch of people materialized.

Who would have guessed that Hades could freestyle so well? I supposed that even the Gods needed hobbies. Holy fuck. This was completely unexpected but entirely awesome.

Nyx, Fury, and Davina howled once the routine ended. The rest of us were cheering as well. This was definitely one of those memories that would go down as one of the best fucking ones.

“Nae, would you like to do the honors of cleansing his darkness?” Beauty asked our daughter.

She flashed her mother a sadistic little grin, answering that question without needing to verbalize it. Her eyes had lit up like a pup on Christmas morning. This gift was apparently one of the best gifts that she had ever been given before.

“Don’t mind if I do,” she chirped and popped her knuckles for effect.

This was the first ability that she learned to master. Her Vessel ability reservoir was very deep all thanks to being born of Demigod. The same could be said for Delilah. While they were not Demigods, they did inherit part of my power. They did not have my abilities, but the power that they got from me drastically amplified their Vessel abilities. It was precisely why they were the strongest Vessels to date.

Calvin began to thrash back and forth. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He was begging and pleading for something to stop. Curiosity got the best of me, and I took a peek at his hell loop. I threw my head back and laughed when I saw what he would be looking at on repeat.

The torture sessions that Beauty and I had given him over the years was where it all began. That transitioned into Theo and me bonding as father and son. Then it showed a particular creation that I loved – all of my loved ones and I surrounding and relentlessly taunting Calvin who was curled up in the fetal position.

Beauty walked over to Calvin and wrapped her hand around his neck, forcing him to look up at her. His eyes widened in fear. It was a great fucking thing to behold.

“The ONLY positive thing that happened because of you is that my mate was born. I want you to know something. That man is an amazing friend, mate, father, and Alpha. No matter how much you tried to break him, you failed so fucking miserably. He became a famous tattoo artist and businessman. He lives to enrich the lives of those around him. MOST OF ALL, he’s the best man that I’ve ever met in my entire life. I want you to spend the rest of your eternity with the knowledge that he’s your biggest failure because he’s become everything that you tried to destroy.”

She leaned down and whispered something into his ear, but I could not hear what it was. Whatever she said had more tears leaving his eyes.

Goddess, I fucking loved my woman. She had always been my biggest cheerleader and supporter.

She turned on her heel and stopped in front of me. Her arms wrapped around my neck as she took my lips with hers. The kiss was raw and impassioned. It was so fucking hot and primal.

Neither of us gave a shit that we were literally surrounded by people. We were in our own little bubble where nothing else existed but us.

Here forehead pressed against mine once the kiss was broken. Her gemstone eyes stared into my blues as if piercing into my soul.

“I love you, Madd, with my whole heart.”

A smile formed on my lips at hearing her words. It was the way she always shared her love with me. It was something that she had always insisted on telling me – she loved me with every piece of her heart. There was nothing that she was holding back from me. I had her whole heart just like she had mine.

“I love you too, beauty. More than I ever thought was possible. It’s a love that deepens each day that we have together. You’ve got me – heart, body, and soul.”

She attempted to blink back the tears that filled her eyes because of my words. This incredible woman was still just as affected by our bond as I was. The strength of it always amazed us both.

We did not have the easiest beginning, but we made it. We also ensured that we fought for each other day in and day out. We were each other’s everything – friend, confidant, lover, secret keeper, and supporter.

I pressed a kiss to her forehead and thanked Selene once again for my mate. She was the best part of my life because she brought me the possibility of every happiness that I have experienced since her gemstone eyes connected with mine that fateful day in the academy’s halls.

Our story was still unfolding, and I eagerly awaited to experience each new part of it with her.