Prisoner

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

"Arranged marriage my ass."

I looked up with a raised brow as Hades sat down at the table in the small dining room that was an offshoot of the tiny kitchen. I'd noticed lately Hades had been eating there, along with Cain, Theo, Cerberus, and Charon, who were also currently living in the palace for some fucking reason. Last I checked, all four of those idiots had husbands to return home to, even kids, so what the fuck were they doing hanging around here all the time?

"Jo told me you were the one who set it up," I said dryly, which only made Hades snort harder in disagreement as he folded up a pita to dredge through hummus.

"Like fuck I was. That shit's just trying to stir the pot," Hades assured, shaking his head, "You're not marrying anyone. Ever." I wrinkled my nose at that, because who the fuck did he think he was telling me what I could and couldn't do? At the same time, there was a profound relief, but also a sense of... I don't know. I didn't want to say disappointment, because I definitely didn't want to get married and I definitely didn't want to marry River.

I rolled my eyes at the thought of the guy.

Most unfortunately, he and his dad insisted on staying at the palace, but thankfully their rooms were on the other side of the wing, away from the private rooms of the household, so we didn't have to mingle too much. Even so, River was fucking annoying. Every time we bumped into each other, he'd greet me as young prince or the prince, like he didn't acknowledge my name, and yeah sure, my name was weird, but at least it wasn't fucking River or Cypress. What were they, faes?

"Don't start that again," Charon said without looking up as he took a sip of tea, "Four's old enough to make his own decisions when the time comes." Cerberus snorted and looked at me.

"Get ready, kid, cuz the moment you show even the slightest interest in anyone who isn't Hades, he's gonna gut the person like a fish," he warned, making Hades roll his eyes and Cain open and close his mouth as he considered it. I scowled, glancing at Hades.

"What's it fucking matter who I marry anyway? Which for the record, I'm not," I added with a scoff, "I can't even walk down the fucking stairs, let alone defend myself in a marriage." I took a bite of the rice on my plate, chewed, realized no one was talking and looked up with a scowl to see everyone looking at me before they immediately looked down at their plates. I frowned.

The fuck was that about?

"Oh, so we're eating in here again today." I looked up to see Lucy walking into the room, pausing to touch Hades's shoulder. I frowned, watching his hand squeeze the god's shoulder. I expected Hades to shrug him off, but instead, he almost seemed to lean into the touch, like he liked it. He even brushed his nose by Lucy's arm before Lucy moved away to take a seat between me and Cain, which was probably for the best.

"Better than getting caught by the guests," Hades grunted as he pushed his food around on his plate, eyes searching the now unidentifiable mass, like he was expecting to see something in it.

"I actually quite like River," Lucy commented, making Hades and I glare at him, "What? He's so polite. His father's a bit pushy, but he's always been that way. He means well. He's just trying to do what's best for his son, which I can relate to. Just let him do his song and dance until he gets bored and moves on."

"I highly doubt he'll move on so easily," Cerberus said dryly, "Cypress has been pushing to get his fingers in the royal family for years. He's had three different wives and has three daughters, but not a single son."

"What's that matter?" I asked.

"The Windstorm family is old and traditional," Lucy replied, "He can't let a female lead his family. He needs a son."