Page 15 of Spring's Descent
Shit.The death magic coursing through my body wasn’t meant to be contained. There was meant to be a balance between life and death, each proving problematic if left unchecked. But there was no light for my darkness to feed on.
It wouldn’t kill me. Thanatos had ascertained as much after speaking with the fates, but each time I consumed death magic, each time the dark tendrils were drawn into my body, I was left with a yawning emptiness that extended a little deeper.
I refused to let it consume the souls of my realm. So, I turned the magic inward, protecting them the only way I knew how by offering up slivers of my soul for it to dine on. I’d do it all again to keep those in my realm safe, but I hadn’t expected to be affected this significantly. Death magic had never dampened my powers this fully before.
Body tensing, I picked up the pace, glancing down at my queen. Streaks of blood covered her body from where thorns and branches had torn at her chest. Wisps of my shadows surrounded each one, urging them to heal. She’d fought bravely, my Persephone. Half-a-dozen witches had trailed her, all fully awakened, but my little witch never faltered. She kept pushing, even when faced with insurmountable odds.
I killed them all with a sweep of my hand, turning that entire section of the forest into blackened ash. I should have destroyed the two that were fleeing, but they held a witch between them that had saved Persephone. I hadn’t seen her cast, but her magicclung to my little witch, carrying Persephone away from the others.
Something stirred in my chest as I watched Persephone’s long lashes flutter in her sleep. Her fiery red curls fanned out around her freckled cheeks, and I couldn’t help but notice how her pouty pink lips formed a flawless heart shape. Fuck, if she wasn’t irresistible. The perfect fucking queen to my king.
Demeter had insisted on calling her ‘Korae,’ but Persephone was so much more than a meek maiden. Names held meaning for our kind. By keeping her true name hidden, Demeter tried to strip her of her identity. Of her destiny.
But her efforts hadn’t made a difference.
I inhaled deeply, committing every inflection of my little witch’s scent to memory. She smelled like vanilla mixed with the faintest trace of wildflowers. A flush still lingered on her cheeks from her run, her brow slick with a faint sheen of sweat. She was life, held in the embrace of death, returned to The Underworld where she belonged.
She stirred in my arms, her fingers curling into the thin fabric of my tunic as a soft moan fell from her lips. Fuck, if that sound didn’t pierce right through me. Her bright green eyes blinked open, a soft pout tugging on her lips as she tried to get her bearings.
“You’re safe, little witch.”
Those piercing eyes of hers snapped to mine, widening as she realized she was tucked against the body of a monster. Fear doused the air as she screamed. I inhaled deeply, drawing all of her terror into myself—it was intoxicating. Like the sweetest ambrosia.
“You smell delicious.”
She thrashed harder against me, thrusting her palms against my chest as she fought to get away. A flash of searing electricity shot from her touch, piercing through my chest. I gasped underits force, tightening my grip on her as a painful squeeze rocked through my bones.
“Let me go!” she shrieked, twisting her body enough to land a solid blow to my nose.
The bone cracked, causing the metallic tang of blood to run down the back of my throat as streams of it coated my face. I doubled over, tossing her to the ground with a curse.
“There’s nowhere for you to go,” I growled. Gritting my teeth, I snapped the bones back in place, letting the familiar wash of pain and anger overtake the foreign fluttering in my chest. “We’re in The Underworld.”
She landed with a thud on the rough pebbles, a whimper escaping her as she scrambled to stand. My eyes narrowed as I watched her body tense. Her gaze shot to the dark mountains behind me before combing over my body. Fear and something sweeter swirled between us as her eyes met mine.
“I’ll keep you safe,” I promised, slowly extending a hand. “Do you trust me?”
Because, for some reason, I trusted her. I knew without a doubt that she was the rightful Queen of The Underworld. It felt like lost fragments of my twisted soul had been returned. Like everything was as it should be.
“Why the fuck would I trust you?” she spat, before turning on her heel and heading straight toward the cursed waters of the Lethe.
10
PERSEPHONE
How the fuckdid I get to The Underworld? The last thing I remembered was running through the forest—and then being drawn toward the cliff. The frost and shadows must have been whispers of death magic. And then I was falling.
The ground beneath my feet transitioned from black onyx to yellow citrine as I fled from the demon at my back. He was huge, the thin material of his tunic straining under all that muscle, and his eyes were a deep cerulean blue that seemed to peer into every part of my soul.
Faint traces of frost and pine still clung to me—his scent. Gods did I want to roll around in it, to forget every horrible thing that had happened in the last twenty-four hours and just lose myself to that gorgeous man.
But he wasn’t a man at all. His allure, my body’s response to his voice, his smell—all of it—was exactly why demons were so dangerous. Demeter may be the worst mother to ever live, but she was right about the threat of The Dark Faction.
They were beasts, vile creatures who had no respect for life. Monsters who grew stronger off the fear of their prey, and right now, I felt just like a rabbit being stalked by a wolf.
Sun glinted off the bright stones along the water’s edge, illuminating the winding river in a sheen of yellow. In another life, I might have been able to appreciate its beauty, but right now, all I wanted was to reach the far shore and continue running for as long as possible.
I needed time to think, to regroup and form a plan. Lark hadn’t sacrificed everything just for me to fall into the arms of a demon. I would find a way out of this mess and figure out how to get her out of Mother's claws.