Darkness Embraced (Hades Hangmen 7)

I lifted my hands to sign because there was no fucking way I could speak right now. “I was riding.” Ky eyed me weird for the second time today, but I had no time to fucking have questions forced on me. The elevator opened, and we got in. Ky punched the number for the third floor. My feet fucking rocked from side to side, blood rushing through my veins as I waited for the fucking tin box to move.

“He’s coming, brother,” Ky said, smiling, and slapped me on my back. “Your fucking kid!” I pushed my hand through my hair as I watched the numbers light their way to floor three. I just needed to get the fuck there!

When the doors finally opened, I pounded through the hallways and went over to the reception desk. I opened my mouth to speak, but my fucking defective throat wouldn’t work.

“River Nash. His wife’s in labor.” Ky spoke for me. The woman behind the desk’s eyes widened when she saw us . . . when she saw me. She swallowed nervously and looked to her colleague.

Yeah, bitch, I wanted to say. You got the prez of the motherfucking Hades Hangmen here right now, and if you don’t let me in to my fucking wife, I’ll break through the fucking secure doors and kill any fucker that tries to stop me getting to my bitch.

She must have seen the look of death my eyes promised, because she tapped something on the computer and stuttered, “Y-you’re on the l-list. I just gotta see some ID.”

I slapped my license, down on the desk and she checked it. “Room six.”

Ky spun me around and kissed my cheek, winking. “Get the fuck in there. I’ll wait here.” He looked back at all the people staring our way. Most saw our cuts. No doubt I looked like Hades himself standing in front of them.

“You can go through now, Mr. Nash.” The receptionist pointed to the automatic secure doors, which were opening. Slapping Ky on the shoulder, I rushed through the doors and searched for room six. It was at the end of the hallway. Like outside in the reception, the nurses and doctors stared at me coming past. I knew what they were seeing—a huge, dark-haired, tattooed prez who looked like he would kill in seconds. I would. Luckily for them, it was only people who pissed me the fuck off. If they got in my way, that would mean them.

A loud motherfucking cry came from the end of the hallway; I recognized that voice straight away. I rushed down the rest of the hallway and smashed through the door. Beauty and Lilah were standing either side of Mae, a hand in each of hers.

The minute Mae saw me, her lip wobbled, fucking destroying me where I stood. “River . . .” Beauty moved. Mae’s hand was held out for me. I took hold of it and finally got a good look at her. Her black hair was tied back, strands around her face were wet. Her face was red and covered in sweat. Her eyes were tired, but she still looked up at me like I was a fucking god. “River . . .” she said again, her voice breaking. “You made it.” She smiled at me, and the look on her face broke my fucking heart.

Mae’s hand suddenly squeezed mine tightly. She cried out again, back arching. Lilah gave her some weird-looking contraption to suck on. Mae’s eyes squeezed shut, and a nurse came over to check the machines that were all around her.

“It won’t be long,” she said and gave Mae a big smile, like my wife wasn’t fucking ripped apart with pain.

“Styx,” Beauty said from behind me. I was fucking lost right now. Could barely take my eyes from Mae looking like this, gripping on to me while she was fucking racked with pain. “We’ll wait outside in the waiting room, okay?”

I nodded. What the fuck was I meant to do in here? When I looked back at Mae, Lilah was kissing her on the head. “You can do this, sister.” Lilah smiled. “It will not be long before we have a little boy to love and spoil, Mama.”

“Yes,” Mae agreed and smiled again. A tear fell down her cheek as Lilah left the room. When her wolf eyes rolled to me, I fucking broke again. She must have seen it. “I am okay, Styx.” She squeezed my hand again, but she had all the strength of a fly. Her hand shook. “I am so happy you are here. I need you so much.”

The nurse left the room. I wanted to drag her back in by her fucking hair and demand she take the fucking pain away from Mae.

“I will be okay, Styx.”

Leaning down, I pressed my lips to hers. Mae, as always, fell into me. My forehead touched hers. “I f-fucking love y-you.”

I felt Mae smile against my lips, before another contraction ripped the fuck through her, forcing her to tear her head away and cry out. In seconds, her doctor was through. Her female doctor. Like fuck I was gonna pay for some male cunt to have his hands all up in my woman’s pussy.

The doctor moved between Mae’s legs. Mae’s hands tightened in mine. Her eyes stayed fixed on mine the entire time. I shook with fucking rage. Anger that, even now, Mae still couldn’t face anyone but me touching her legs—not that any fucker would dare try. But she couldn’t even stand her doctor being between her legs. It was because of all of the years of abuse by those bastards in the cult. Forcing her legs open and fucking her until she bled.

I kept my eyes on her as the doctor rolled her chair back, got to her feet and said, “We’re ready for you to start pushing.”

Mae took a deep breath and said to me, “River . . . I am scared.”

My chest fucking snapped. I couldn’t fucking stand her in pain. Was gonna fucking explode seeing her like this. But I kept my shit together. Leaning down, I put my ear to her ear. “Y-you got this, b-babe. I’m h-here. I fucking love y-you and I’m h-here. Y-yeah?”

Mae breathed out, and her hand slackened around mine. “Yes.”

“Mae, on your next contraction, I want you to push, okay?” Mae nodded at her doctor. And she did as she was told.

It was brutal. It was fucking torture to watch my bitch go through so much pain. But she never fell apart. She fucking held onto my hand and pushed and pushed, until the doctor lifted her head from between Mae’s legs and said, “One more push, Mae, and your son will be here.”

“Charon,” Mae whispered and smiled up at me. She was exhausted. But I could see her excitement in her perfect fucking face. Her wolf eyes locked on mine. “His name is Charon,” she told the doctor.

“Then next push, and Charon will be here.”

“You good, b-babe?” I said in Mae’s ear.

“He will be here soon, Styx. Our son . . . our boy.” A lump the size of Mars fucking clogged my throat. I kissed her, then Mae was pushing. My bitch gave it all she fucking had in her tiny body. Then the sounds of crying filled the room.

My head snapped to the doctor, and my stomach fucking dropped when she lifted our baby onto Mae’s chest. Mae’s hand slipped from mine and wrapped around our kid. I was fucking dumbstruck as I stared down at him. At Mae crying, holding him and looking at him like he was already her fucking world.

“Oh, my goodness . . .” she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. “He is perfect, Styx.” She looked up to me and smiled though fucking tears. “Charon . . . our little Charon.”

I stared down at Mae and Charon and couldn’t fucking breathe. The python that was always wrapped around my throat squeezed tight. I wouldn’t be able to talk. But I didn’t fucking care. I had my woman, and now I had my son . . .

I had a fucking son.

“Styx,” Mae whispered and held out her hand. I put my hand in hers and she pulled me down. I kissed her lips. “Look, River. Meet Charon. Meet your boy.” I did as she said. He had dark hair. I didn’t think kids had hair when they were born. But Charon did. Black hair . . . just like Mae. My chest tightened when I studied his little face. But then he opened his eyes, blue eyes, and I was fucking done. He had black hair and blue eyes.

Just like fucking Mae.

“They might change,” Mae said, reading my damn mind. I looked at my woman. “All babies are born with blue eyes.” But I didn’t think they would change. Mae’s eyes were fucking perfect. Made sense our son would have them too.

The doctor took Charon away and cleaned him up. The nurses took care of Mae. But it wasn’t long before Charon was back

in Mae’s arms. I was pretty fucking sure no one had ever looked so good holding a baby. I sat on the edge of Mae’s bed, my arm around her, touching my son’s cheek. I was clearly fucking tired too, because in that moment all I thought about was my mama. She must have felt like this too. My old man wouldn’t have given a shit about me. I doubted the cunt was even there when I was born.

I watched Mae kiss Charon’s head, tears rolling down her face in happiness, and my heart fucking cracked. This, right here . . . it was all I’d fucking dreamed of. Ever since I’d met the girl behind the fence with the wolf eyes and weird voice. It’s all I’d ever wanted. To have her as my bitch and our kids running around my club and my feet.

My mama ran away. Being here right now with Mae and Charon made me realize just how fucking desperate she must have been to have left. Then to have come back, knowing my old man would most likely kill her.