Page 57 of Thorn & Ash
And she’d chosen Prue.
Of course she had. How could Evander have expected anything different? Mona loved Prue more than anything.
Even more than Evander.
He shoved his tormented thoughts down deep before turning to face her, adopting a pleasant expression, as if she were merely an acquaintance he had come across during his stroll through the woods. “Forgive me. I, uh—it’s only caught me by surprise, is all.”
How could he have forgotten? It had been centuries since he’d last visited the Pool of Forgetfulness, and he had completely overlooked its link to the whirlpool in the mortal realm.
Gods could pass through freely. But for mortals, there was a price to pay if they wanted to travel to the Underworld. And Mona had paid that price.
“I knew you the last time I was here,” Mona said, squinting at him. “Didn’t I?”
“Well, I—yes. Yes, you did. I was the guardian of your soul. I helped you find a way to return to the mortal realm.”
“Guardian of my soul? Wait… Was I—” Her face paled. “Did I die?”
Shit. How had she not known? “You remember your sister, correct?”
“Yes…”
“What do you remember of her? When did you last see her?”
“Well, it was in Faidon. She cast a powerful spell, and she—she—” Mona’s eyes grew round, her hand flying to her chest. “Goddess above! You’re right! Prue resurrected me. Oh, how could she have been so reckless? A spell like that could have killed her!”
“It had to be done,” Evander said solemnly. “This realm wasn’t safe for you. Your soul and your body were unbound. It would have unraveled you completely if you’d stayed.”
Mona chewed on her lower lip as she scrutinized him, her eyes guarded. “And you… helped me? We were allies?”
More than allies, Evander wanted to say. I am intimately familiar with every curve of your body. I know exactly how your breaths sound when you are aroused. The thought sent a bolt of heat directly into his stomach.
This line of thinking certainly wasn’t helping anything.
“Yes,” he said, realizing she was waiting for an answer. “I was the only one you met in this realm. Well… besides my brother.” He winced. “Do you remember him? Vasileios? Was he in Faidon with you?”
Mona’s gaze clouded in confusion and alarm. She stared at the forest floor, her eyes unfocused as she considered this. “There was someone else there. Two others. But… I can’t recall their faces.” She shook her head, gritting her teeth in frustration. “Dammit! I can’t remember anything.”
“It’s all right.” Evander lifted his hands to placate her. “Don’t strain yourself. If you fight against the magic of the Pool of Forgetfulness, it could rebel against you. Just accept it. We don’t want to alert anyone to a foreign presence in this realm.”
“Foreign presence?”
“Mortals don’t generally come here. It’s forbidden, actually. Which is why I gave you explicit instructions on how to travel here safely.” His eyes fell to the emerald ring around her finger, and he smiled. “You followed my instructions perfectly.”
Mona followed his gaze, lifting her hand to inspect the ring. “This gem allows me to stay here, doesn’t it?”
Evander nodded. He wasn’t sure exactly what kind of magic emeralds possessed, but he knew it was essential to keep mortals alive down here.
Mona lifted a finger, her brow furrowing. “Wait. You said I didn’t meet anyone else when I was here before? What about Trivia?”
Evander cocked his head. “Who’s Trivia?”
“Hecate. She’s a goddess. She was waiting for me when I arrived.”
Evander’s anger returned as he instinctively drew closer to Mona. He lifted a hand to the injury on her head, just barely brushing against it. His fingers came back sticky with her blood. Mona shivered from the contact.
“Did Trivia do this to you?” Evander growled, a low rumble rising in his throat.
“What? No. I must’ve hit my head when I arrived.” She gazed up at him, her lips parting and her emerald eyes glowing. Evander could sense her pulse quickening. Did he frighten her? Or was it something else?