Page 40 of Spring's Descent
Each time I was afraid.
Could all that magic really have come from me? A part of me knew the answer, but I wouldn’t allow myself to believe it.
Cold whipped around us, bringing with it high pitched wails of souls trapped in agony. Daring to look over Aidoneus’s arm wrapped around me, I peered below, finding a barren land of ice and snow stretching before us: Cocytus.
“Their cries will only get louder as we draw near,” Aidoneus said, answering my unspoken question. “There’s no hope among the souls banished to Cocytus. They are traitors forced to wander alone forever.”
I gave a small nod, spying a winding river in the far distance, but my mind was elsewhere, searching for answers to questions I wasn’t prepared to ask. Focusing on the warmth inside my chest, I called on my magic. Pricks of electricity tingled along my fingers, the faint shimmer dulling within moments and leaving me weaker for it.
“Sleep, Persephone,” Aidoneus whispered. “There are miles left to travel, and you’ll need your strength.”
Knowing there was nothing more to be done, I closed my eyes, trusting my demon to keep me safe.
Hades
The icy tundra of Cocytus stretched before us. Darkness consumed everything, leaving only frigid planes in its wake. It was always night here, the unnatural clouds born of misery and regret blotting out most of the faint light from above.
Shards of ice and rock littered the otherwise barren landscape, peaking out beneath vast snow banks and leafless trees. The Cocytus river was the only glimmer of color. Its slow moving waters composed of ice and tears lapped againstsapphire stones that gave off a faint glow, drawing wandering souls toward its edge.
These were not like the souls in The Asphodel Plains or even those in Tartarus. These spirits were traitors of the worst kind. Deception and betrayal consumed their lives while they’d been in the Realm of the Living. All had willingly led innocents down trails of lies. And so, they too must wander aimlessly, following the frigid blue river on a path downward, spiraling toward the desolate center.
The souls believed the pit would offer them a reprieve, a place to rest their weary, wounded bodies, but that too was a false hope.
In truth, they were meandering toward the lowest point of The Underworld, even lower than Tartarus, with nothing but a frozen lake waiting for them. Most of the lost and broken souls swarmed its edges, but the worst of them were sentenced to infinite torment within its icy waters.
Another cold gust barreled toward us, causing Persephone to bury her face into the warmth of my chest, even in sleep. Her small body shivered, igniting an irresistible urge to protect her from all that was to come. To save her from a life tethered to me.
I angled for the northern bank of the icy river as the control over my magic and wings started to wane. Fear gripped my chest as I crested lower. Our realms wouldn’t be safe until we were bound, wed, and Persephone had come into her powers, but the balance could begin to shift in the right direction if any one of those things occurred.
I had planned on forcing her to marry me the first night I’d caught her, but we’d ended up in Hypnos’s territory without a way to return to The Dark Palace. I had no doubt that Thanatos and Hecate were looking for us. They were the ones to suggest beginning the process of weaving out threads right away. Andfuck if I didn’t want to make Persephone my wife in every way possible.
Her eyelids fluttered, her pouty pink lips now tinged in blue. She had no idea the monster she feared most was the very one that she'd submitted to last night. The one she would have given everything to. Despite all that I’d told her, she trusted me to keep her safe.
Her hand clutched at my chest, drawing her body closer to mine. Electricity pricked beneath her touch, the small sparks sending waves of heat pulling through my body. I wanted to be better for her. To earn her affections and have her give herself willingly to me—to Hades.
But I wasn’t a hero. I wasn’t noble or self-sacrificing. I was selfish and greedy. I’d coveted many things in my long life, but nothing like I did Persephone.
My realm was harsh. Cocytus being a prime example of that, but this wretched kingdom was a brutal reality my little witch needed to endure if she was to rise to her full potential. If she was to take her rightful place as my queen.
“I’m sorry,” I breathed, pressing a kiss to her brow. The moment she woke, I intended to deceive, to lie, to tell her whatever she wanted to hear to ensure our threads were woven together. To bind my Persephone to me forever.
26
PERSEPHONE
The scentof sweet frost and darkness engulfed me, clashing with the stinging wind lashing through my cocoon of warmth. I whimpered, curling further as I sank into the meager heat Aidoneus’s body offered me.
My palm splayed against hard, smooth muscle, the pads of my fingers tingling. The gentle thudding of his heartbeat skipped, the rhythm jumping under my touch. Half asleep, I allowed my fingers to explore, heeding the spark that begged me to follow.
“Don’t.” A warm palm captured my wandering fingers as the chest I was pressed against rumbled.
My eyes flutter open, finding Aidoneus’s deep blue gaze boring into mine. I’d undone the top buttons of his tunic, exposing the hard planes and swirling tattoos along his chest. A sheet of midnight clouds was cast overhead, but I could just make out the various symbols spanning outwards toward his shoulders. And the particular symbol my fingers were poised over.
The upside down torch.
“Sorry,” I breathed, glancing up at him. Blinking the sleep from my eyes, I realized we’d landed. Snow covered everythingexcept for the luminescent river to our left and the rocky path Aidoneus followed. There were clumps of trees, but the thin branches offered next to nothing in terms of shelter.
A powerful gust reared up, forcing me to tug at the thick material covering me. My brows furrowed as I noted the extra layers, eyes widening as I looked back toward the thin material covering Aidoneus’s body.