Death is just a breath away!!…

*My frozen heart only melts with the warmth of your breaths!!...*

**Hades' POV**
"Well, this is nice," Kora said, making me grant her a wry look before holding up a middle finger and saying, "It should be noted that this wasn't part of the plan."
"Yeah, I believe you," She responded in a defeating tone with her eyes full of panic, but there was also a hint of something else...relief.
She was glad to see me back.
One of the minions dragged me onto the floor, I could feel the power raging through my skin, but it fused out soon with the effects of wolfsbane, and I dropped to my knees. I was locked in a large cage that looked like a holding cell for those ready to be executed. Another vampire clutched Kora's hair and dragged her towards my cell. The second she was pushed inside hard enough to tumble to the floor, I lost my shit. I managed to grab her before she landed. Then I spun her to the side and grabbed the fucker's arm before it could close the door. Quickly, I bent its arm and snapped the bone in one strike. Then I let the howling creature go.
"That wasn't very nice, naughty boy," Estrella chuckled.
I ignored her and looked at Kora, "Are you alright?"
She nodded so as not to aggravate her wound, but her sad, tear-filled eyes spoke of her pain.
"I am sorry for what I had done, and you can hate me all you want-" I started explaining.
"Don't, Hades, I understand your reasons." she cut me off.
"I have much explaining to do, and you will listen whether you like it or not!" I demanded in a stern voice, so she wisely shut up.
"I had no choice but to leave you. You must know you are too important to me and my only weakness. And if they know what you mean to me, then fuck knows what they would have done. That psychotic bitch Estrella is more venomous than a two-faced snake and would fucking enjoy torturing you. I am sorry that I hurt you but trust me, your safety comes before my life."
Her eyes were damp with emotions.
"I love you, Hades." she winked at me before pulling back her arm and letting it go in a whoosh on my cheek, sending me on the floor with impact.
She fucking slapped me.
"I love you more," I responded in pain at the impact.
The harpies and the humanoid vampires circled the cage, looking at us with their tongues touching the roof of their mouths as if they were eying their meal.
I sucked in a deep breath, knowing that I had to play this situation very carefully because Estrella was not like those ordinary shadow assassins, and the truth of my identity was also at stake. What if she reveals to Kora that I'm Vlad's brother?
"I don't know about you, but I've got a bad feeling about this," Kora said, looking over at me while I watched the enemies with an enamoured gaze calculating their every move.
"And you're only now getting this bad feeling? Because I have been getting it since you came into my life." I responded sarcastically with a raised brow.
"Okay, so I see your point because I understand how humiliating it is for the daddy wolf to be caged like a circus creature," she commented dryly.
"Actually, yeah...and thanks to you for that."
"And thanks to you as well because since meeting you, I had equally gotten myself in this much shit."
"No offence, but I smelled trouble on you the second I saw you running that corridor in the Northern palace."
"And I know you were a trouble when you stabbed that guard in the dick."
"Thanks for reminding me of his dick every other second, but still, you talked, walked and fucked me?" I questioned, hitting her nerve, and I swear she started to choke up on my words.
"Oh, I had double thoughts of fucking you...because no offence, you're hot and everything, but not sure I want to chance dating you...but like I say, 'my luck sucks', so I ended up with you," She retorted dreamily, and I swear she was thinking of our hot sex on the lake's edge. I laughed before shrugging my shoulders unapologetically, and despite what was happening all around us, our little banter only managed to ease the fear of our unknown fates.
"What do you think they're going to do with us?" She asked me after a few minutes of silence.
"Well, whatever it is, I don't think they're going play dodgeball with us," I responded with dull humour.
"Estrella is coming at us," She whispered as Estrella walked across the bailey, dragging the long silk trail of her dress behind her.
"No doubt she was born, raised and married in royalty. She had the body of a beautiful woman and the legs like a supermodel. Her wings were glorious with no dearth of lustre and magnificence, with a perfectly feminine frame. Seeing such beauty made me question her origins if she was a born vampire or turned one?" she asked.
"Well, for your general knowledge, she is the daughter of King Hogan," I smirked, and the way she gave me that unbelievable and fearful look, I knew that she had heard about the dreaded stories of the Incubus King Hogan.
"So what's the plan? Just sit here and wait," she asked me.
"I would no doubt love to unleash my wolf and tear this fucking place apart and no doubt curse these harpies to damnation, but this wolfsbane fucks up my shifting by weakening my bones and muscles," I confessed, looking around the cage for some escape.
Although I must admit our chances of getting out of here surrounded by half-crazed vampires weren't good without the help of Cerberus. And little did I know that the situation was about to get a whole lot worse.
"And here comes the oh shit moment!" Kora said when Estrella's attention shifted to her. This was confirmed when the next command of her mouth involved her.
"Bring the bitch!" she snapped to her minions, her eyes burning like lava.
"Touch her if you have a fucking death wish!" I snarled at her, so far lost in wrath that I felt my skin would split open and allow my wolf to take over, but my body wasn't supporting my anger due to the effects of wolfsbane. Estrella just smirked, ignoring my threat.
"Stop it, Estrella, or I swear I will cut that evil smirk from your face," I warned her. I had the surge of uncontrollable and brutal rage, the one that burned like the pits of hot hell, ready to destroy the whole fucking city. But again, the wolfsbane was making me weak. The more I showed aggression, the more effect that fucking wolfsbane acted on my system, making me weak and incompetent.
Kora gave me a look as if she was questioning my connection to Estrella. No simple soldier talks to royalty like that. And here, the royalty in question is Estrella, the Vampire king's concubine and King Hogan's daughter.
"You survived well enough, I see," she asked me calmly, not pissed off at the insults and warning I was slurring at her.
"Do you think your fucking minions have the balls to get me?" I retorted with a nonchalant and unimpressed tone. I could almost see Estrella trying too hard not to flinch, unsure if she was scared of me or my rough treatment of her.
Then suddenly, she shifted her attention to Kora, glaring at her with her evil eyes, and sneered, "You care for her, Hades?"
"I fucking love her!" I snapped, making her roll her fucking eyes.
"Ah, do you want me to let the girl go?" She asked sarcastically.
"Damn right! I snarled back.
"No, I don't fucking think so!" she replied with an evil smirk of hers.
"You want me? I'll come, but let the girl go." I warned her, making her grin.
"I would have gladly done that, but I made a promise to Vlad. He wants the girl."
"Try to take her, and I will fucking rip you apart." I snarled at her and swore I was taking a vow to crush her skull beneath my boot.
"Do you think you're in a position to make such claims?"
"Release the girl. Let her walk out of here untouched, and I will do whatever you say." I growled at her in a deadly warning.
Estrella turned her attention to Kora, "You see, Hades wants me to let you go unharmed, and Vlad wants me to bring you to him unharmed. So let me think...well, I'll enjoy killing you," she snarled with the incisors emerging out and glinting off its sharp razor-like edges.
Her words made me growl low before I spitted out the warning, "You want a fucking war, then go right fucking ahead, but I am warning you now, hurt my girl, and the wrath of Gods will be nothing. You'll beg for your death."
Estrella was fidgeting on her toes as if she was well aware of my power and that my warnings were never empty, so she looked over to one of her minions and snapped, "Our wolf needs more wolfsbane."
The minion nodded and brought forth a dart laced with the poison.
"Stop, please. I'll come with you." Kora pleaded to Estrella with tears welling up in her stunning jade eyes. Because that fucking poison not only made me weak but was almost excruciatingly painful. Kora sensed my pain.
"Kora, you stay out of it," I snarled at her before shifting my gaze to Estrella, "If you don't fucking let her go, I swear to you Estrella, I won't just rip out your heart, I will take fucking days torturing you before my wolf devours you whole! NOW LET THE GIRL GO!" I bellowed this last part with enough power. But the second dart of wolfsbane hit me, which merely knocked me out. Fuck! I couldn't stand that my soulmate was at the mercy of this crazy bitch.
"I'll take that chance, Hades, and would love to gut this bitch and slice her open, and you will watch as a helpless spectator, unable to do anything to stop me", Estrella spoke with an evil grin. I snarled at her and fucking hated that she was right.
"Very well, bring me the bitch!" Estrella commanded, making the blood in my veins turn to ice.
"No, wait..." I snarled, but the door swung open, and Kora was dragged out. I was too weak to unleash my power.
"Let me go!" She shouted, trying to fight and kick her way through the harpies, but she was pinned back against the bars with her face slammed against them. I gritted my teeth against the pain. I was forced to watch as they dragged a struggling Kora over to the well.
"NO!" I roared, but it was too late. The urge to destroy everything in sight was hitting my jaws and fucking with my head.
"Hold on Kora, I will save you, if it was the last thing I ever fucking did on this Earth!"
"Stop boring me now, or you'll join her soon," Estrella yawned at me.
I was writhing on the floor like a caged beast, concerned only for my girl. I worried about the injury to her face, trying to convince myself that it wasn't grave enough to be a threat to her life...but what if I had been wrong?
They lifted her and positioned her on the wooden post, her hands tied again over her head. They attached the wooden post with the hook by a rope, making her face the sheer drop of the wall. She looked utterly terrified, her eyes snapping down to her death and back to mine.
Estrella was laughing, making me growl in a boiling rage, "You won't be laughing soon," I muttered, clenching my teeth. Her laughter became sick and sinister as she started morphing into her true form, a grotesque death-grey scavenger. With a shrilling voice that could knock off the eardrums, she started walking towards the well, detaching the rope from the hook, and releasing it.
Kora went down into the dark depths of the well.
"No!" I screamed when I heard the splash of water, and my heart sank with her. The deafening sound of her cries was killing me.
She was left to die!

*Though life ends, love doesn't!!...*