Page 29 of Spring's Descent
I nodded, gritting my teeth at the nerve of her questioning me.
Her forked tongue lashed out, searching for a lie. She found none.
My apologies, Master,she said, retracting her talons. I gritted my teeth as they withdrew, blood spilling from the gashes, but Persephone’s life magic rose to the surface, sealing the wounds in seconds.
Your witch is the one responsible for your current state?Kampe hovered there, her head cocked to the side as I held her stare.
“She is,” I answered, knowing Kampe had scented the life magic on me. I narrowed my gaze, daring her to question me further. She may be obeying orders for now, but I couldn’t risk showing vulnerability. My wings rhythmically pumped as I sized her up, noting the way her talons were still slick with my blood.
Best go catch your witch before the Phlegethon claims her.With that, Kampe turned toward The Valley of Torment, leaving me a moment before Persephone’s screams pierced the air.
My newly beating heart nearly stopped as I snapped my wings against my sides and dove.
A flash of red curls among the tumbling black rock caught my eye. I veered toward her, burning through more of her magic and mine as I cut through shadows to reach her. Her body was limp as she fell, rendered unconscious.
She’d gifted too much of herself, my brave little witch. I doubted she even knew what she was doing. I hadn’t realized what was happening until our life threads awoke beneath her touch. They were eager for the bond, drawing the two of us together.
My arms came around her, securing her close to my chest and I slowed our fall, before reversing it. I took to the skies, my ebony wings pumping as I angled our path toward Cocytus.
If my true power had returned to me, I’d be able to fold through shadows and appear at The Dark Palace in an instant, but I could already feel the warmth in my body cooling as I funneled magic into maintaining my true form.
I had no doubt Kampe was watching, along with a horde of prisoners in Tartarus. Not much changed here. The spectacle Persephone and I made was sure to garner attention. Her presence, a living witch among dead, cursed souls was no doubt already circulating. Hades and his witch. I couldn’t afford having anyone think they could challenge me. Not now. Not when I was so close to having everything.
As much as it pained me to admit, Iwasvulnerable, more than I had ever been before, but appearances were ninety percent of the battle. If I appeared strong, then I was. No one would risk their lives by testing me as long as I maintained the fear I’d worked millennia to cultivate.
Looking as if I were enjoying the dark recesses of my kingdom rather than being forced to endure it, I set a leisurely pace as I crested The Mountains of Mourning, gliding toward the land of Cocytus, until the fog thickened around us, ensuring we’d be safe from prying eyes.
Few could navigate passage through the mountains. They were caught in the middle of Tartarus and Cocytus, between fire and ice. Dense fog paired with the billowing clouds overhead meant it was nearly impossible to pass, but I was familiar with the terrain, allowing my mind to wander as my body navigated the mountain pass by memory.
My mind drifted to our current predicament, hoping that Persephone’s magic was strong enough to hold off whatever binding spell had been placed on me until we were safe.
Someone had placed a curse on me. And I knew exactly who was responsible. My magic should’ve taken us to The Dark Palace, but I’d been grounded on the banks of the Lethe, just outside The Darklands of the North. Each time I attempted to access my magic, it felt like a thin layer of dust was separating it from me—or a very fine layer of sand. This had to be Hypnos’s doing.
The God of Sleep hadn't made his dislike of me a secret, but he was nothing if not self-preserving. An open attack would never work. He’d incur not only my wrath, but all those loyal to me. Butcursingme allowed him to test the limits of my magic. Had I been at my full power, I doubted I would’ve noticed the attempt. As it were, I’d been torn through space and deposited on his doorstep.
He must not have expected it to work. That was the only reason I could think of why he wasn’t waiting there with an army of Night Children at his back.
Returning to The Dark Palace was vital, not only for my survival, but for my little witch’s too. The Dark Palace was my seat of power. If I could return before Hypnos thought to mobilize, we’d be safe. It was a direct link to The Underworld. As long as I remained there, most of my magic would be accessible.
If luck was on my side, Thanatos would be preparing forces to defend against a possible attack. I should be helping toprepare, slaughtering each and every threat to my people, but none of that could happen until my little witch and I passed through Cocytus and into the Asphodel Plains where The Dark Palace resided.
Persephone’s body gave a shudder as an icy blast rose from the frozen valley before us, whipping at her tattered dress. Her nipples hardened, her slightly upturned nose growing pink against the wind’s onslaught.
The beating of my heart lurched as I stared, awed by my little witch’s beauty. Sweat and ash coated her, smeared through her tangled red curls and across her forehead, but gods did I want nothing more than to have a taste of her sweet lips.
She had broken through Kampe’s compulsion, resisting the urge to take her own life. I’d never seen it done before. Persephone was a fighter, a queen in the making. I was embarrassed to admit, I hadn’t seen it at first. I’d thought this union would have been swift and then over, another sacrifice I would make for my realm.
But now. Now, Icravedher. Yearned to inhale her subtle scent of vanilla and wildflowers every day for the rest of my existence. To sink my cock into her pussy so deep that I’d brand her body and soul as mine, forever.
My Persephone.
Demeter thought changing her fate’s-given name would keep her from her destiny, but my little witch was too stubborn for that. She had responded to her true name, if not consciously, then by instinct.
I would show her why we needed to be, convince her to stay by my side long after I had bound our life threads and secured my realm. But first, we needed to survive Cocytus.
The bitter cold wouldn’t affect me, even with Persephone’s life magic flowing through my veins. I made this world, theprimal magic channeled from my being, but my little witch had no such protection. She needed clothes, food, and water.
I clutched her closer as I angled downward, thinking a bath for my little witch might not be such a bad idea either. Luckily, I knew just where to go.