Prologue

The night was cold.

Layers of sleek white frost coated the cobblestone streets of Inferi on a rare rain-less night, street lamps casting an eerie glow across the cold. Windows crusted with ice, shops dark and empty, the sky alight with the rare gift of silvery stars. A dark alley, narrow and long, with the only creature stirring on such a dark night.

Sharp stiletto heels clicked on the ice, long slender and muscular legs disappearing up into a short pleated skirt, and a long black double-buttoned coat swaying, gloved hands clenched. Demonic red eyes flickered back and forth, painted lips pursed in an everlasting pout, and dark hair swept back into a long ponytail over a slender shoulder. The creature moved with a deadly saunter toward a bolted metal door set in the basement of a nearby apartment building. Gloved knuckles rapped the door, and moment later, a slot in the door snapped open to reveal narrowed green eyes.

"State your name and business." A gruff voice growled. Painted lips pulled into an irritated sneer.

"Jamie Waltz, now open the fucking door, Garret." A deep baritone voice responded. The man on the other side snorted a laugh and the slot snapped shut before the sound of locks clinking and clanking open followed, and the metal door creaked open to reveal a rough, burly looking man with a full grown beard, decked out in enough black to supply the Gothic District of Styx. Jamie narrowed his eyes as he stepped past the large man, who slammed the door shut behind him.

"Get out of work early?" Garret mocked, raking a hungry stare over Jamie's scantily clad body. Jamie flipped him his middle finger, which only resulted in making Garret chuckle further. Jamie hugged his jacket to him closely, clenching his teeth to prevent them from clacking together. Despite the warmth of the basement rewarded by a large imperial fireplace, the chills from outside clung to his bones. Jamie swallowed as Garret walked past him to lead him through a large open lobby in the basement to a pair of locked double doors on the other side.

"He's been waiting for half an hour, so I'd purr like a precious kitty if I were you." Garret told Jamie, who rolled his eyes and raked a gloved hand through his hair to even it out. Garret used the keypad by the door to input a code and do a retinal scan before the doors clicked open and Jamie stepped through them into a lavish office heavily decorated with golds and burgundy. Another large fireplace, leather sofas and armchairs, a large polished desk, and rows upon rows of book shelves. The doors shut behind Jamie as he stood there, watching the leather chair at the desk turn to reveal the man seated there.

The man oozed raw sexual attraction, and yet a deadly aura that told Jamie to keep his distance. The man was ridiculously tall at six foot eight with short dark hair and rugged stubble that made his aristocratic features appear more wild. He wore a pinstripe Italian silk suit that complemented his rock hard muscles. It was enough to make Jamie bite his bottom lip eagerly.

"Jamie, sweetheart. You're late." The man greeted with a low gravely tone. Jamie swallowed, wringing out his hands a bit nervously.

"A client kept me. Sorry." He added. The man smiled slowly, moving around the desk to approach Jamie, who had to tilt his head back to stare up at those eerie black eyes that seemed to hide his true intentions, yet read that of those around him. It made Jamie restless. The man lifted a finger to slide across Jamie's cheek, caressing him for a breathless moment before he tucked a lock of hair behind Jamie's ear.

"Did you get what I asked for?" He murmured after a moment. Jamie blinked the erotic daze the man's touch induced and nodded timidly, reaching into his pocket and removing a small cube that looked strangely like a Rubix cube, except not multi-colored and instead covered in an ancient language he didn't understand. The man's eyes twinkled and Jamie felt a thrill shoot through his system at being able to please him as he handed the cube over and the man took it gently into his palms, holding it up to the light.

"It's beautiful," The man breathed, mystified, "This has to be over ten thousand years old." Jamie smiled dreamily.

"You're welcome." He whispered. The man glanced at him, then smiled and leaned over to take Jamie's chin into his hand. Jamie trembled at the warmth of the touch as the man leaned in to nuzzle Jamie's cheek before releasing him to drift over to his desk, Jamie's dazzled eyes following him the whole way.

"Do you know what this is, pet?" The man asked. Jamie shuddered at the endearment and bit his bottom lip, giving his head a small shake. The man chuckled as he placed the cube on his desk and slowly sat down, gesturing for Jamie to approach. Jamie obeyed, sliding his coat off and draping it over the edge of the desk, revealing the skimpy short pleated skirt and low-cut silky top that clung to his feminine figure. The man patted his knee and Jamie eagerly plopped down, hissing between his teeth as he ground himself down on the man's thick leg. The man chuckled and reached up to stroke Jamie's hair before taking Jamie by the chin and forcing him to look at the cube.

"This is the key to our future, the key to the future of the realms, and our key to making those Greeks pay for having destroyed my people." He whispered. Jamie's eyes glowed.

"Your people?" He asked. The man chuckled and stroked Jamie's cheek before drawing him close so he could nip at Jamie's red painted lips. Jamie moaned, leaning in to take more, but the man pushed his face away to stare at the cube with black eyes that grew with intensity.

"My people could have taken all the realms into the palm of their hands. We were powerful. We were beautiful. We were nearly immortal. With this key, my pet, I will awaken the greatest pantheon that has ever existed in the known world." The man breathed, reaching out to touch the cube. Jamie blinked, confused as he looked at his master curiously.

"I don't understand." He murmured. The man chuckled and drew Jamie closer with an arm around his slender waist, making Jamie quiver as he grinded himself on the man's thigh. The man leaned in to bury his mouth against Jamie's throat, listening to the thrum of arousal fuel hot blood through his system.

"I know," He murmured against Jamie's slender pale throat, eyeing the vein beneath the skin, "And I'm sorry." Jamie blinked and tilted his head back to look at the man, frowning at his uncharacteristic response. For a moment, he swore he thought the man before him was going to weep. A wet film over black eyes that was blinked away as he turned those eyes on Jamie, making him tilt his head in confusion.

"I'm sorry." The man murmured again, sliding his hand up Jamie's back before lifting it away and reaching beneath his seat to withdraw a dagger. Jamie frowned as the man used his opposite hand to stroke the hair back from his face. He leaned up and placed a chaste kiss upon painted lips before sinking the dagger into Jamie's back. Jamie cried out in pain, hands grabbing the lapels of the man's jacket. Blood instantly flowed up his throat and poured down the sides of his mouth, red eyes widening as he stared at the man in front of him, who pushed the dagger further in until it was buried up to the hilt in pale flesh.

"It's for a good cause." The man assured. Jamie choked.

"Desiderius?" He managed before his eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped against the man, blood pouring from the wound in his back and more oozing past his lips onto Desiderius's jacket. Desiderius took a deep breath, clenching his teeth as he pulled Jamie's head against his, fist laced in Jamie's soft dark hair. He dropped the bloodied dagger to the floor and pulled the man up into his arms as he rose to his feet.

"I hope the gods appreciate my sacrifice for this," Desiderius said through clenched teeth, "You were one of the few creatures on this planet that didn't disgust me... Jamie." The name felt like poison on his lips now, as if he didn't deserve to say the name of the man he held as his lover for nearly two years. Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he used his powers to send everything on his desk flying to the floor, save the crystal black cube that he levetated in the air while placing Jamie onto his desk. He held his hand out and beckoned the cube into his palm before he reached out, placing a finger in Jamie's blood, then painting blood in the center square on each side of the cube.

He waited, a spark of fear racing through his spine when nothing happened after nearly a minute of waiting. He began to wonder if he had just killed his lover for no reason when the cube suddenly shuddered and Desiderius's eyes widened as the cube trembled some more.

A second later, what sounded like a distant scream erupted from within the cube. Followed by another, and another, until a symphony of angry screams and screeches flowed through the cracks in the cube, a bright red light flashing through and setting a glow to the room.

Desiderius breathed a sigh of relief as he held the cube up, watching the lights glow brighter and brighter until it pained his sensitive eyes to stare, but he couldn't resist as he listened to the screams of a long dead pantheon as the Source was forced to regurgitate them.

"Welcome back, my fellow Atlanteans."