Consort

Hera could remember what they looked like even though it was a lifetime ago.

When she would draw her seemingly harmless fingertips on the barks of the strongest and oldest trees in the realm and then watch as they're set ablaze by the sheer power that her fingers held.

The fire would spread as fast as lightening and the branches would weaken almost immediately, the greens of the leaves would fade away and be replaced with a dark charred color that made her lips curl up.

The flames were wild, careless and deadly to anything or anyone at least ten to twenty feet away, blue flames, red, green, orange…the trees would scream as their ancient powers burned out.

Hera reveled in those screams.

A lifetime ago.

Today, the closest she got to seeing in over two hundred years was the mortal in front of her.

His anger a never ending and careless flame that consumed his entire figure, the aura that radiated off of him seemed to even burn her eyes…never had she seen, in all her year of being the strongest empath anyone has ever known, never has she seen such pure unbridled anger.

No hatred, no fear…just blue, red, orange, white flames.

They burned.

It was glorious.

Fascinating…

"Do my words sound so outrageous that you burn with this much anger?" Hera chuckled, she found herself being drawn to him like a moth to a flame, her feet moved on their own accord as her mind craved to be closer to the brightest light she'd ever seen since she'd been submerged in this never ending darkness.

He never moved away, he stood his ground as she approached him, there was no hint fear in those burning flames of his, she could feel his glare…anger radiated off of him in waves.

Strangely, it was more satisfying than the screams of the ancient trees.

She took another step closer, he was still silent and he still didn't take a step back.

She could feel the warmth of his breath against her forehead, so she raised her head, so he could look her in the eyes.

She liked being this close to him, feeling that aura so thick that it brushed against her skin, leaving sweet burns…reminding her of how much she'd missed after confining herself to the walls of the palace.

The idea appealed to her even more now that she could smell his scent.

He stank!

Yes he did but there was something else, maybe a natural woody scent...Or was it human vanilla?

She could not out her finger in it but it smelt heavenly.

"You need my body?" he finally spoke.

The mortal sounded just as confused as he was angry, he looked ready to attack but yet at the same time she could see it…that pink hinted at lust…or maybe it was something else but she could finally see a crack in those flames just right above his heart.

Her hand touched his chest, she wasn't sure when…but her body kept doing things on it's own.

"I need your body," she repeated with a nod, "You're going to give me an heir…" her roaming fingers came up to his shoulders and their breaths mingled with each other's.

"Then I'll destroy your kind…and I'm going to enjoy it!"

"Tch!" he finally took a step back and whatever trance she was in was broken.

His flames died down and unfortunately, so did that glowing pink above his heart.

"Is that your grand plan?"

That royal blue that surrounded him was beginning to feel like it would be a royal pain in her ass.

Where did all of it go? Her glorious flames, even the anger in his tone, all gone.

"And how exactly is that going to help you destroy my kind?"

The corners of Hera's lips twitched when she heard the hint of laughter in his tone.

He wasn't taking her seriously or he just didn't believe she would be able to achieve it?

"That's for me to worry about...All you have to do is look pretty and get it up when I need you to,"

She could tell that pissed him off, her words and the fact that he didn't rile her up enough to hear the rest of her 'grand plan'.

"Just kill me and get this over with,"

Hera placed a hand to her chest in mock hurt and gasped.

"You would pick death over my amazing company?"

"Yes!" he answered without hesitation, Hera smiled with amusement.

This mortal was unlike any other she'd come across.

He was so…unafraid?

Was that it?

Or was it the strange pull she felt toward his voice?

"And what do I have to gain from this little exchange of ours?"

Hera could've sworn his arms were crossed over his chest again.

"Gain?"

Funny and cute how he thinks there's something to gain from this.

"You get to be the last human alive, the last demon hunter, the last man to ever walk any of the realms...Isn't that great?"

Sarcasm, a skill no one thought her…she had to learn it all on her own and in her own opinion it was the greatest self taught skill she had.

The mortal was confused, colors of curiosity thawed at Hera but he managed to hold back his questions.

He wanted to know how him fathering the heir of the demon realm would destroy his own realm.

There was more to it than just destroying the mortals that have plagued her realm for centuries but, he didn't need to know that. He was not one of them and he would die soon after his duties are fulfilled anyways.

Such a shame.

"Ok," he said like he was agreeing to the terms of an agreement…this was far from that.

"How long do you intend to keep me here?"

"A year," that is how long it would take for everything to fall in place…the human just had to stay here.

She heard the sound of his gritted teeth, little flames popped up here and there but not as wild as they were before.

"A year…" he repeated in a gruff voice, "You intend to keep me here for a year as your consort but yet I am locked up in a cell like a prisoner,"

Consort?

She never saw it that way. He was a prisoner and nothing else even though his own duties to the crown and the other prisoners' duties were vastly different.

He had the guts to call himself her consort.

"You're not here as my consort, do not be confused," Hera said.

She heard a light chuckle, she knew it didn't come from Vracko.

Well shit. This mortal was just full of surprises!

He dares to laugh whilst she speaks.

"You're not here as my consort," Hera announced louder just incase he didn't hear her the first time.

"Right..." he replied in a low voice.

"I like you, Regina…"

Right. He probably thinks that's her name.

Did he just say he likes her?

Shouldn't that be her line?

"I'm Vincent Stone,"

Of course she knew what his name was, after all, she was the person who picked him herself.

And she'll be damned if she ever admits it out loud but…his duties to her before his imminent death is that of a consort's.

Why didn't the Fates explain this shit to her?!