Hades took the glass, and before he thought too long on the subject, said, “I have a job for you.”
“Yes, my lord?”
Hades nodded to the woman who had triggered him with her golden hair and green eyes.
“That woman, I want to know if she leaves with anyone.”
Silence followed Hades’s order, and when the god looked at Ilias, he was staring back, brow raised. “Is she in danger, my lord?”
Yes, he thought, she was in danger of never leaving this place. Something inside him wanted to disregard every civility and possess her. Something about her called to him—a thread that pulled at his heart.
He froze as those words surfaced in his mind, eyes narrowing, and thought, It cannot be.
Hades peeled back layer after layer of glamour that kept his vision shielded from the ethereal Threads of Fate. They were like shimmering spiderwebs connecting people and things—some were wisps, others were solid. Their strength waxed and waned throughout life. The whole floor was like a net, but Hades was only focused on one, fragile cord that ran from his chest to the woman in shimmering pink.
Fucking Fates.
Want more Scarlett St. Clair?
Order A Game of Fate
Author’s Note
I think my favorite thing about writing fantasy romance is that I can have these fantastical settings and still write characters who handle our everyday emotions and challenges. This book began with two characters fighting over a sort of arranged/sort of forced marriage and evolved into a story about identity and choosing what is best for you no matter the opinion of others.
I am only going to go into a few details about the vampire mythology and monsters in this book because I did use a particular guide as a reference for every creature you encounter in these pages. I learned from reading Theresa Bane’s Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology that there are actually hundreds of iterations of vampires across the world and across cultures and they are all based upon what people fear most. So as I wrote this book, I first considered what this world would fear most.
Turns out, they feared something stronger than themselves. You can see this in the history of the kings, who murdered witches for fear of being overtaken, and so Dis, the goddess of spirit, decided to create a creature that really could do that—and Adrian, well, he took it to an extreme.
Other abilities I adapted from the mythology of various vampires but also, in particular, the famous Dracula are: the ability to shapeshift into an animal or a mist. You see these parallels in a few ways throughout the book. First, Dracula was said to be able to turn into a wolf （among other creatures）。 I did not feel like Adrian could shapeshift, so I used the wolf as a symbol for his crest. You also see shapeshifting with Sorin, who could turn into a falcon. （Other vampires were noted as being able to turn into vultures or bats）。 The mist reference comes in the form of the crimson mist which, at one point, Isolde thought a vampire was responsible for.
I also decided to maintain that the sun was deadly to vampires, but I had always seen Revekka with a red sky. Adrian, of course, was the first vampire and much stronger, so he, like Dracula, was still able to move in fading sunlight, and it was not fatal to him.
Outside of vampires, every monster in this book is also some kind of vampire. You will recognize many of them because you’ve heard them across various stories, including Lamia, who fed on children （if you have read A Touch of Malice, I referenced this myth）。
I also must make a note that while I know many make connections between Vlad the Impaler and Dracula by Bram Stoker, I highly encourage you to read about the real Vlad III. There are many atrocities attributed to him, though I feel like it’s always taken out of the context of the time and his motivations for conquering are never mentioned.
Thank you so much to my readers. I appreciate you all—without you, my dreams would not have come true. I hope you loved the story of Adrian and Isolde. I hope you loved their friends and their world. I cannot wait to share the next book with you!
—Scarlett
About the Author
Scarlett St. Clair lives in Oklahoma with her excellent dog. She has a master’s degree in library science and information studies. She is obsessed with Greek mythology, murder mysteries, love, and the afterlife. For information on books, tour dates, and content, please visit scarlettstclair.com.