Hellfire Crown (Underworld Bride Trials, #3)

by Meg Xuemei X

“My mate will know you aren’t me,” I said flatly, since I didn’t want to feed the goddess any of my emotions.

Does it matter how you speak? Aren’t your emotions emitted from you body in scents like pheromones? Why does it matter what tone she’s speaking in if her body is broadcasting something else entirely?

Hellen’s eyes flashed with rage, but Lucifer waved a hand in front of her to stop her from lunging at me.

She’s in a cell while Hellen is not…. Oh but I forgot she can phase through walls…

I recognized Apollo, the Olympian Sun God, and Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare.

And how, exactly, do they have hellfire?

Marigold had locked them up with Cronus, their Titan grandfather, in the Void. They’d come to me first, taking me out as the weakest link amid all of their targets. And then they’d go after my mate.

Wow… just throwing a whole bunch of shit together randomly here to make adversaries?

Only when I made the transition to an immortal would my strength increase a great deal. My power would also reach its peak, but it’d be another year.

So we have to wait a whole year of this crap before she can finally do some damage? I thought some time had passed and it should be less than that now…

Amid the raining dirt and rocks, the god and goddesses stalked toward me, their blades glinting with dark light in their armored hands.

Why do they need blades when they can kill you with their magic?

I needed him to tell them the enemies were right under their noses.

Didn’t he read your mind before?

“What are you doing here, Azrael?” Athena hissed. “Didn’t you cause enough trouble last time?” They were on a first-name basis.

He has a last name? Anyway, she didn’t call him Bran so they aren’t that close. Lol

Looks like all you ancient beings are having too much fun ganging up and tormenting a lone young girl.

Yeah, she’s 17 years old to y’all centuries old asses, Lucifer’s eons.

Lucifer narrowed his green eyes in displeasure. “How did you get into my realm, angel of death?” “I flew here with my ravens,” the angel said, “and I bear a message.”

Lol. I flew here.

Despite the tearing agony and relentless burning inside me that had me moments from passing out, chills ran through my bone marrow all over again.

Probably has to remove that before he can rescue you…

I wondered if my mate’s hellfire could burn it away and regretted that I hadn’t asked him,

Smdh…

She could pose as me, deceive my mate and Mari, and then strike them when they least expected it.

But can she also mimic your power?

A soul-tearing pain ripped into my chest as I waited in the banquet hall of the Morningstar Place,

Waiting? What is he waiting on? When we left him he was supposed to be leaving to help!

And she’d come out of the trial with additional qualities that were new to me, like built-in viciousness and greed. Tessa Morrigan could be ruthless, but she’d never looked this malicious. Others wouldn’t detect the changes, but I was the King of the Underworld. And I was her mate. And she’d never been so seductive.

Contradicting yourself there, bud.

She had appeared alone. I realized a second later that she wasn’t only the champion, but also the sole survivor.

Where did she send the wolves to?

But I could understand the changes. She was the champion now. She’d earned it.

No, she wouldn’t change like that. She’s not you. Stop being an idiot.

Why did I have this worst feeling ever when the woman of my dreams and the mate of my soul was stalking toward me?

Please let the wolf tell his dumb ass something cuz I can’t take much more of his monologue about how she acts and behaves nothing like Tessa while still calling her Tessa.

He didn’t even growl at my insult. He watched our mate glide closer and closer, and he yawned. Motherfucker!

Stupid. All signs point to “Not Tessa” but you’re still being an idiot.

He leaned forward, his gaze suddenly sharpened, a predatory light quenching any amusement he held a moment ago. “Are you married?” he asked, and there was an undertone of threat in his voice, as if he’d for sure murder my husband if I said yes.

🤣🤣🤣 So you do realize what’s happening here then…

“My parents are serving overseas at the moment,” I said, feeling a muscle jumping on my chin, and he saw it. “I’m the bread earner for the time being, but it won’t always be like that. My parents will be home soon.”

Serving overseas means that they can’t send money home to care for their children? I mean, I know that’s not what the point is here. I’m just pointing out that it doesn’t make sense and not a valid excuse.

“One last thing,” I said, proud that I still had the presence of mind to try to settle down an important detail. “I’ll only work day shift. I have to pick up my siblings from school in the afternoon.”

Bartend in the afternoon and done before school lets out? That’s not many hours… I could see if she said before dinner or something and the eldest child would gather the younger after school.

“Thank you.” I swallowed. “And one last thing—” “You said that already,” he snapped.

Yes, and it’s getting on my nerves as well…