Page 21 of Spring's Descent
“Put me down,” I breathed, alarmed at my body’s yearning to give in to him.
The rocking of our bodies slowed as Aidoneus came to a stop. His discerning gaze saw far too much as he eased me to the ground, which was all the more reason to put distance between us.
The warmth of the garnet stones immediately heated the soles of my boots, causing me to shift on the balls of my feet. Wiping the sheen of sweat off my brow with the back of my hand, I desperately tried to reason with myself.
It didn’t matter that Aidoneus was covered head-to-toe in muscle, or that, for some reason, I’d felt more rested asleep in his arms for a few hours than I had in years.
This was a demon for gods’ sake—one who had captured and transported me through the realms. Based on the way he fed off fear, he’d probably aided The Dark Faction in countless attacks against The Realm of the Living.
I’d been wrong about him only being a bounty hunter. Aidoneus was far too controlled for that, and his ability to cast such potent spells meant he had to be higher. He’d also navigated through The Underworld with ease. I’d guess he held a very high rank. Maybe even one of The Dark Palace’s guards.
I had been a fool to try to escape. Aidoneus wasn’t the person I needed to run from. I needed to bide my time and learn all I could from him until I could find a way to return to The Realm of the Living and save Lark.
“I thought you were taking me to The Dark Palace to wed your master.”
His eyes narrowed as the pulse in his jaw ticked, but he nodded. “The Dark Palaceisour destination.”
“Then why are we headed into the endless abyss of Tartarus?” I lifted my chin, shifting quicker on my feet as the heat rising from the ground became uncomfortable.
Aidoneus noticed my fidgeting, and for a moment it looked like he might pick me up again. I might have let him, but then he took a deep breath and trudged past me without looking back.
“There’s no crossing the Lethe, little witch. Not unless you can fly.”
Unable to contest that fact, I stalked after him, doing my best to ignore the way his thighs and ass shifted while he scaled the gemstone cliffs.
Eyes up here, Rae.
Sweat coated my body as I jogged to keep pace with him. Not for the first time, I wished I would’ve kept my mouth shut about wanting to be put down.
So, I was attracted to him. He had felt it, too. I was sure of it. A part of me wondered if my reaction wasn’t some type of spell because whatever the power was between us, it appeared to be affecting me a lot more than him.
“Couldn’t we find a way around instead of walking willingly into the worst part of The Underworld?” The muscles in my legs burned as the ground ascended sharply. My curls were frizzing around my head and my skin was slick with sweat. I was panting by the time he slowed enough for me to reach him.
“We won’t be getting close to the gory parts,” Aidoneus said with a glance over his shoulder. “There’s a bridge over the Phlegethon. It will carry us across the fires below and into the land of Cocytus.”
“Cocytus?” I repeated, my brows drawing together. “The River of Tears?”
Aidoneus nodded, guiding me away from the cliffside. Garnets still littered the path, but much of it was now covered by blackened, volcanic ash.
“That’s one name mortals use for it, along with The River of Wailing or The River of Lamentation. Its shores sprout from the pit of Tartarus opposite to the Phlegethon. A great portion of it is actually more lake than river, which is where we need to go.”
Swinging my arms, I did my best to move quicker, both to keep up with Aidoneus and to quell the fire beneath my boots. Sweat coated my body, and the thin, white material of my gown was practically translucent now and matted to my skin.
“Could you slow down?” I called, hiking up the tattered ends of my dress. I was jogging along the path toward Tartarus, nearly naked, and trying to catch up to a demon. How had I ended up here?
“No.”
My mouth fell open as my burning feet stumbled at his reproach. I knew he heard me trip, but his body never broke stride.
“In fact, you need to move quicker. We must time our crossing or things will get unnecessarily complicated.”
“This isn’t complicated already?” I grumbled, my thighs burning as I pushed up the sharp slope. The soles of my boots were being warped by the heat, portions of them melting away with each step I took. The air grew thick with humidity and ash the higher we climbed, making it difficult to breathe.
“I guess strolling through Tartarus is just another day for a demon like you,” I seethed, as I ripped away a tattered piece of my gown to make a make-shift mask. “It’s probably a nice day off from all of the killing you do.”
His shoulders tensed, but his gait slowed.
“Nothing to say?” I baited, needing to focus on anything other than the blisters starting to form on the balls of my feet. “Were you there when the Green Coven was attacked? Did you help turn their entire village into ash? Or was that your master, Hades’s, doing?”