Page 42 of Thorn & Ash

Mona’s own cheeks flamed as if she couldn’t quite believe she’d been bold enough to say that. “But I’ve known something was wrong since the moment I arrived here. That’s why I was making plans with my sister. Not because I don’t want to be with you, but because, like you, I fear what is happening here. What might happen to my soul if we fail.” She leaned in, pressing her lips against the base of his throat. A riot of desire burned through Evander, and he had to clench his fists before the beast took over and did something he regretted.

But would he regret it? Evander wasn’t so sure anymore.

“Come with me,” Mona whispered, her breath tickling his neck.

Evander blinked, stunned. “With you? To—to the mortal realm?”

Mona drew back and nodded, gazing up at him with longing in her eyes. “You said you’ve been to the mortal realm before. You can come with me. Be with me there, where it’s safe for you. Whatever is happening here, Evander, it makes me worry for you.” She took his hands in hers and squeezed. “Please. Come with me.” Her eyes turned pleading, and it nearly split Evander’s chest in two.

He couldn’t hold back any longer. He cupped her face in his hands and brought his mouth to hers. She leaned into him eagerly, as if she’d been waiting for him to kiss her. Her lips were smooth and soft and sweet. His mouth claimed her again and again, coaxing her tongue out as their kisses went from gentle to demanding. She moaned against him, her hips meeting his. His hands found her waist, snaring her against him until their bodies were fit perfectly together, her curves meeting his muscles. His wings expanded to cocoon them in a shade of privacy as his mouth trailed down her jaw and to her neck, his tongue flicking against the hollow of her throat.

“Goddess,” she cried out, her fingernails digging into his shoulders.

A low growl rumbled from his lips, and the beast inside him yearned to coax even more desperate sounds from her.

In that moment, Evander knew he and Typhon were one. Typhon may have been a manifestation of his magic, but it was still a part of Evander. A part he longed to keep hidden, to keep shut away from the world.

But Mona, she drew him out. She unleashed the feral side of him he pretended didn’t exist.

Because Typhon yearned for her, just as Evander did. Because they were one and the same. Two sides of the same coin. Wild and tame. Beast and man.

Evander’s mouth met hers again, his tongue sliding between her lips. Her teeth scraped against his lip, and he growled again.

He knew if they continued like this, they wouldn’t stop. They would finish what they’d started before. This was so much more than a goodbye kiss. It was an admission of what they both tried not to feel; what they both could no longer ignore.

The desire burning between them became an intoxicating, tangible thing, growing more insistent and irresistible. Evander couldn’t hold back much longer, and as she writhed against him, rubbing directly against his arousal, he nearly shouted from the dizzying torture of it all.

A piercing scream echoed in the forest, ringing in Evander’s ears. He and Mona froze, springing apart in alarm as they both looked around for the source. Mona’s cheeks were pink, her eyes dark with lust and her mouth swollen from their passionate kisses. But as awareness crept into her gaze, her form started to flicker.

Whatever had been keeping her body here was fading.

“More tormented souls?” Mona asked breathlessly.

Wordlessly, Evander nodded. The scream hadn’t come from his river—he would have sensed it—but it did feel closer. Was the darkness of this realm spreading? How long before it reached Cocytus?

“I can’t come with you, Mona,” Evander said. The words caused him physical pain, wrenching from his throat. “My dark magic—Typhon—will not allow me to survive in other realms. The witch who cast the spell ensured I could never return to the mortal realm. The power of the enchantment was born of the Underworld and will destroy me if I leave.” He closed his eyes, agony consuming him. Gods, what he wouldn’t give to be able to leave with her, right here, right now.

“Go,” he pleaded, stepping away to resist the urge to grab her and keep her here forever. “Reunite with your sister.”

“Evander,” she sobbed, her body no longer corporeal but a transparent spirit once more.

“You can reach me,” he promised. “I am your soul’s guardian. Summon me with one of your spells, and I will be there. I swear it, Mona. We will see each other again.”

“Embrace it, Evander,” she said, her voice growing distant. “Typhon is a part of you. He is you.”

Emotion tightened in his throat. Though he had come to the same realization, it still felt too real hearing her say it. Even as she disappeared, he croaked, “I know.”

And then she was gone.

QUEEN

PRUE

Prue sat atop the throne, wearing a vibrant crimson gown nearly as revealing as the violet one she’d worn before. She had learned in her short time in the Underworld that the standards of this realm were far more lax than in the Realm of Gaia. Apparently, other demons often wore just as scandalous outfits without batting an eye.

She still felt naked wearing it, though. The silk fabric clung to her like a second skin, revealing all her curves.

Her insides quivered with unease, her gaze often darting to the throne room doors, afraid Cyrus would burst in and unleash Kronos’s fury at the sight of her on the throne.