Her Forever

Hades’ POV

The following day I found Gwen’s legs intertwined with mine; her head was buried in my bare chest as I saw her slightly parted lips take a breath. Kronos, she was captivating. If I had taken just one look at her as a baby, I would have instantly fallen for her, not in a s****l way but in a loving, protective way. My stubborn a*s had to go screw it all up, and now I am faced with if she will even stay once she knows the truth.

I was going to do it, and I would start telling her the truth, piece by piece. That is, if everything checked out well today. Today we had several different witches, shamans, and sorcerers coming that deal with memory magic. If I could have found a vampire with experience in compulsion, I would have called for them, but the one I was thinking about was suffering in Tartarus for the overuse of his power.

The artificial sun had broken through the tiny crack in the window that let the fresh air in. Gwen told me how much she enjoyed the fresh air, and I would open the whole damn window if she wanted. The thought of an open window scared her at first, worried if someone could crawl through.

Constantly reminding her that I would never let anything happen to her would be rough, but I’ll do it for as long as she needs me to. Her eyelashes ticked my chest as she looked up to me with the cutest smile as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Did you sleep better?” She nodded her head as she sat up to stretch her arms. The shirt rode up, exposing her milky legs, and I had to pull back a bit before I let out an involuntary g***n of approval.

“I’m going to get dressed, and several doctors are coming in today to check on you. Is that alright?” Gwen gave a little pout, and I wanted to suck that l*p right into my mouth. Gods, I want to take things further with her; I just didn’t know if she would let me.

“Do I need to tell them about the dreams?” she whimpered, and my dead heart just about damn broke. Sitting back on the bed, putting my arm back around her, she instantly curled up in my lap. Gwen wasn’t scared of me as she wrapped her arms around my waist.

“It would help them figure out what’s wrong,” she sniffed and hid in my chest. “What if I was there? Holding your hand through everything? Would that make it better?” She gripped my waist tighter and nodded her head; she would try. “Good,” I kissed her forehead as she hopped off my lap and headed to her room.

She was still a quiet little thing, but we had all eternity to get to know each other and start new memories with each other because she was mine.

Once dressed, I came out of my room and instantly went to hers, the door was open, and she had just put on some pink ballet flats. Wearing a plaid pink and navy skirt with a white top, she looked damn sexy. When I had sent out a demoness to retrieve clothing for her, I didn’t realize she would pick things Qwen would wear. Some of it looked downright ridiculous, but Gwen paired items nicely.

In my opinion, the skirt was too short, and I didn’t want anyone to look at her like I did. I liked what she was wearing and only wanted it for my eyes. Her tucked-in white shirt outlined her breasts, and you could actually see the bounce in them when she pranced over to me to take my hand. f**k, this was going to be complicated. She was sexy, and she didn’t even know it.

Taking her down to the infirmary, all the damn palace was in there; Niko, Ares, Hermes, and Vulcan all sat in the corner like helpless puppies while Cerebrus whined at the door because he couldn’t come in. Gwen stepped towards me and gave everyone a wave as she sat on the bench.

“I think it is best for fewer people in here, don’t you guys think?” I growled out as Niko shivered at my command. Yeah, you sick f**k, I know what you are doing. “Besides, Niko, how is that assignment I gave you?” Remember you are supposed to be interviewing angels about why Nova was at the club the night we saved my mate?

“Yes, Sir. The interviews were concluded when you have a chance, and we can go over them.” I nodded my head but gave a death glare while I folded my arms. If they made me ask twice, I was going to drag them out by their d***s. One by one, they left the infirmary while Gwen tried to hide her giggles. She thought the whole thing was amusing. If I wasn’t so damn stressed about what was wrong with her memory, I might have laughed too.

“My Lord, I have great news!” Dr. Aramose smiled as he walked into the room. He better have a cure, or I’ll toast him right here. “Um, Dr. Hecate is here!” I let out a little breath I didn’t know that I was holding. This would be the second-best thing to happen; Hecate was the goddess of witchcraft and sorcery. If she couldn’t help, then no one really could.

Hecate walked into the room with a white doctor’s coat, and she must have been informed that my mate wasn’t aware of our kind. She had also changed her appearance to be more human-like. A few flaws in her face and hair were there, but overall, she still looked like Hecate.

“Wow, she’s beautiful,” Gwen whispered as Hecate came up to her. “I think you are the beautiful one Gwen,” Hecate used the back of her hand to touch Gwen’s cheek.

“Now, I heard you were having some nightmares. Could you tell me about them?” Gwen immediately stiffened, and I grabbed her hand and kissed her on her knuckles.

“It’s alright; Hecate and I have been friends for a long time; she will help, trust me.” Gwen still didn’t like the idea, but with my touch, she did calm herself.

“Why don’t you sit down, Hades, and let Gwen sit in your lap? That may calm her more.” Not hesitating, I picked Gwen up and sat in the chair across the room while Hecate took the wheeled chair closer to us. Gwen leaned her head on my chest as she took deep breaths. Hecate grabbed both of her hands and began to massage them.

“Go slow, and from the beginning, alright? We can stop and take a break anytime you want.”

With a shaky voice, Gwen spoke of her first dream. The open window, the pictures flying to the floor during a storm, the smell of pine on her father’s shirt she wore to bed. Everything was in vivid detail until the man in the ‘gladiator helmet’ came into view. She said he clawed at her, wrestled her to the ground. She had never dreamed this before the times she had been with me. It was the same helmet she saw bring her to the club.

The second dream caught my attention more, and it sounded like she was part of a small neighborhood that held a party at a bonfire. I tried racking my brain why this scene sounded familiar. Gwen tried to tell us why they had gathered, but the tears started to roll down her cheeks. Her breathing became erratic, so I grabbed her tight and buried her into my chest. I couldn’t bear to listen anymore; she was my frightened angel that had been ruin by some sick f**k that took my damn helmet. Once I find out who took it, I will make them pay.

“Did the man in the helmet come back, Gwen? Is that what happened at the end?” Her grip became tight around my shirt as I cooed her to calm down. “It’s alright, I’m here,” I kissed the temple of her head as she came to. I rocked her back and forth like a child; hell, she probably didn’t get this as a child for all I knew. Her dreams made me think she did have a childhood, though, but how was it compared to the last ten years?

“Hades?” Hecate spoke through to my mind. Hecate being the god of witchcraft, could do many things such as mind-linking someone with who they have no affiliations. However, even her being the god of witchcraft, she had her limitations. I looked up at her as Gwen started to doze off. Gwen was still physically weak and now mentally. Every time she dreamed, she would wake up more exhausted.

“As I touched her hands, I feel Gwen has been tainted with a type of grey magic. It is a mixture of both light and dark. Usually, one practices either light or dark, but this, this is different.” Hecate stroked Gwen’s hair as she slowly went to sleep. There are not one but several spells on her that include both and are intertwined; I’m guessing that is why I am feeling this grey magic she has. One is memory loss which is black. The next is white, which is a suppressant. Someone is suppressing her strength, her body. It is usually used on cancers of the body for humans, but whoever cast this spell didn’t concentrate on one part like you would cancer, but the whole body.

“So, someone just wanted to make my mate even weaker?” I growled. Hecate nodded her head in sadness.

“Unfortunately, I can’t say for sure, Hades. Again, there is a mixture of other magics inside her that I can’t pull from her. Magic evolves every day, and this is the first time I have witnessed these many spells on one person. Who have you wronged lately that is powerful enough to cast so many spells?”

“No one that I can think of. You know where I have been the past 1000 years. Lowly humans family members that are still alive?” Hecate nodded. “I should contact Selene, see if she can help and if a bond can take care of this since it doesn’t look like you can help?”

Hecate shook her head as she pressed her thumb to Gwen’s head. “I’m sorry, I can’t. Her best bet is to ride it out. I could try and rid her of every individual spell separately, but the consequences would be far worse in her weakened state. Her being with you has already awoken some of her memory. Gwen may not realize it is a memory, so try and get her to tell you her dreams, and maybe some of the pieces will come together, and you can find her parents. The bond is helping, be patient.” Hecate put an invisible cross on Gwen’s head and touched the stone around her neck, one to have said to hold most of her power.

“I’ve blessed her that no other spell would ever touch her with any magic… Once she comes out of these spells, no one will be able to cast a single thing on her head. A gift only precious enough for the future Queen of the Underworld.”

“Thank you, Hecate. I appreciate your efforts.”

Hecate instantly vanished as I continued to hold Gwen in my arms.

….

I still needed to talk to Niko about the new information on the angels he spoke to, but right now, I just wanted to concentrate on her. It was all my damn fault, and stewing over it wasn’t helping one f*****g bit.

Carrying her out of the infirmary, I took her with me to my office. She has nightmares without me, so I’m going to have her with me the entire time she naps; I don’t give a flying bat out of hell if anyone gives me s**t about it.

My office was filled with papers; several male servants were dusting but hurried out the door when they saw me enter with Gwen. It looks like my friends must have done every cunt in the damn place since I haven’t seen any maids around here. That’s how it should be, and my woman was the only one I needed under this roof.

I took a long drag of her smell. She still smelled like gardenias on a crisp, spring morning. Her golden hair had become lighter, not as dull as she once arrived, and the color on her face had started showing that pinkish hue when she would get embarrassed. Sneaking one k**s wouldn’t hurt, would it?

The cheek and forehead k****s were great, don’t get me wrong, but I wanted that pouty l*p of hers. It was calling me like a f*****g siren, and if I didn’t have a taste, I think I would drown. Pulling her closer to me, I tickled her cheek once more to see if she would open her eyes. Leaning in my nose grazed hers as my lips were mere centimeters away before her eyes fluttered open.