Worth It - Lisa Oliver Page 0,41
made ready for the next nervous couple waiting outside.
“You will come and have a meal with us, won’t you Paulie?” Suzanna’s mother asked. She was a lovely looking woman, a lot like Suzanna, with just a few added lines around her eyes and mouth. The bond with her husband was strong and Paulie was glad they both seemed to approve of Nathan.
“Er…” Paulie really didn’t feel like eating with the others. After his episode with Zeus, he felt less like he fitted in than ever. “I’d really like to, but…”
“Unfortunately, we need Paulie to come with us.” Wes suddenly stepped out from behind a column. “I’m sorry to intrude, but it can’t wait, I’m so sorry.”
“Oh, my goodness, Paulie, are you in some kind of trouble?” Suzanna’s mother looked alarmed at Wes’s black suit.
“Wes is a friend of mine,” Paulie said quickly. He turned to the groom who was still making mushy faces at his new wife. “Nathan, you did amazing. I know you and Suzanna will be very happy together.”
“Thank you for coming,” Suzanna said warmly. “His other friends were being dicks.” She reached up, kissing him on the cheek. “Don’t be a stranger, okay? We’ll have you around to our new place for dinner real soon.”
“That’ll be lovely.” Paulie made his goodbyes, keeping his smile firmly in place until they hit the pavement. Instead of heading for a car though, Wes ducked down the side of the courthouse. Paulie wasn’t surprised to see Cass waiting, but he looked around. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”
“Because my lord and master couldn’t come himself,” Cass said gruffly, reaching out and gripping Paulie’s arm. “Close your eyes. This can be a bit disorientating.”
“Where am I going?” Paulie trusted his friends, but Cass’s tone was making him think twice.
“The Underworld, of course.” Cass wiggled his eyebrows as the courthouse and all the trappings of normal human life disappeared.
/~/~/~/~/
“Am I dead?” Paulie opened his eyes slowly expecting to see… gods, he didn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t the warm glow of a fireplace or the light and colorful furnishings in what looked like a large sitting room. “I’m dead, aren’t I? Zeus rejected me, so my shifter spirit has died, and I’ve done something terribly wrong and ended up down here.”
“Honestly, Cass, didn’t you tell him anything?” A pretty young shifter sauntered into the room dressed in a bright pink tank top and a matching kilt complete with boots. “Paulie, I’m so glad you could come.”
“He was at a wedding,” Cass explained sheepishly. “There were people around and it’s not like we wanted anyone to see us translocating.”
“I did tell you to take the car,” Wes protested. “We could’ve driven somewhere first, told Paulie what was going on, then translocated down here. But no. You were grumbling about finding parking, and how you might get a ticket, so we had to do things your way. Sorry, Paulie. Sorry, Ali.”
“Ali?” Paulie scrunched his forehead, trying to work out if the name Ali had come up in any of his research on ancient gods.
“My formal title is Ali, Consort to the Lord of the Underworld. It’s a recent thing,” Ali said brightly. “You can call me Ali, all my friends do. Come and sit down. You’re not dead but we do have a lot to talk about.”
“You have to forgive me,” Paulie said, perching himself on the edge of the nearest couch, noticing how Wes and Cass disappeared through a door into another room. “I’ve had a very trying week. Why am I here if I’m not dead? How can I be here if I’m not dead? I thought mortals couldn’t visit the Underworld.”
“You’re not mortal,” Ali said simply, sitting in the chair across from him. “Because of your godly genetics, Hades can grant you access here for as long as he likes, and no one can say anything about it.”
“Hades, that’s the Lord of the Underworld, right?” Paulie thought back over what he’d read. “Isn’t that Zeus’s brother? Oh, my goodness, has something happened to Zeus?” Is that why he disappeared so suddenly? Paulie’s mind filled with visions of Zeus laying dying on some pedestal bed somewhere among the clouds.
“Zeus was fine last time I heard, but he won’t be if I get my hands on him. He had no right leaving you the way he did.” Ali’s glare was cute enough, but Paulie was sure his cheeks were going to be sprouting flames they were so hot.
“Hades was watching us…