Page 57 of Spring's Descent
Swallowing against the bitter taste of bile, I shook my head and turned toward her. “Stop.”
She lifted a brow my way, but her power didn’t slow. “Didn’t you hear what Kassandra just said?”
“Yes, and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for everything, but I think I can fix it. If what I remember is true, I’ve done it before.”
Hecate lowered her hands an inch, her deep green eyes lined with a golden ring of light. “Can you heal the earth?”
“Maybe,” I said, noting the swirling tendrils of darkness.
“Yes or no, Persephone,” Hecate snapped. “Expanding death magic isn’t something to play around with. Can you stop it or not?”
“Not everything will return, but…” Taking a deep breath, I lifted my chin and met her hard gaze. “I can do this.”
I tore my gaze from hers, looking toward the wilted leaves and the blackened soil. Even now, they called to me—roots, I realized. Some were destroyed, but others, the ones with roots deep underground, were clinging to whispers of life.
“You can feel them,” Hecate breathed, her hands falling as her eyes widened.
I nodded.
She hesitated only a moment longer before stepping back. “Five minutes. I don’t want to chance it spreading, and your powers are still limited while you’re unawakened. Don’t drain yourself.”
“I’ll try not to,” I said as my fingers heated. Electricity pulsed through my veins, seeming to swell from deep within me as I stepped forward, toeing the edge of black. My magic rose to the surface, pressure mounting as it was drawn toward the embers of life nestled beneath the earth.
Raising my hands, I took a deep breath, and let it out.
36
HADES
My shadows forcedthe last of the wraiths across the citrine stones littering the cave’s floor toward the Lethe’s cursed waters. My shadows wavered as the wraith thrashed. Gritting my teeth, I tucked my wings in close, and wrestled the death magic under control. It responded, tamed into compliance as my shadows dunked the wraith beneath the Lethe’s surface. Its splintered soul stilled immediately.
Chest heaving, I leaned against the cave wall, the dark surrounding rock cool against my wings as I attempted to catch my breath. The strong current swirled around the quiet soul before carrying it deeper into the recesses of the cave. It would lead to Oceanus where the soul would be healed and eventually reborn. I hoped it made better choices in the next life.
“That bought us some time,” Thanatos said, watching as the wisp of white disappeared into the blackness. “But others will turn soon enough. You don’t need to wait for Persephone’s awakening to start the bonding process.”
My wings bristled as I wiped the back of my hand across my forehead, not liking how a thin sheen of sweat clung to my brow. I shouldn’t be this tired after taking care of a few wraiths, but exhaustion spotted my vision.
I was already on edge having to set foot in The Darklands of the North and weak as the time to restore balance between the realms ran out. I didn’t need Thanatos pushing me, especially not while we were trespassing on Hypnos’s territory.
My jaw ticked.NotHypnos’s territory. The entirety of The Underworld was my domain. Hypnos served underme. At least, that was how it had worked for millennia.
And would continue to be.
Less than two weeks and Persephone would claim her place at my side, fixing everything that had fallen apart in her absence. Thanatos was right in that I could take her sooner. It wouldn’t fix everything the way her awakening would, but us being married would start the process. If nothing more, it would allow me better control over my death magic.
Control that I desperately needed.
I couldn’t afford to appear weak. Even with Thanatos at my side, I didn’t want to think about what our odds would be against a swarm of The Night Children if Hypnos managed to wield another spell against me.
But Persephone needed to bond to me willingly. All woven threads needed consent. I could convince her, use the souls hanging in the balance to get her to agree. That had been my plan from the beginning—the only plan that made sense. But the thought of her flinching from my touch had my stomach twisting.
I needed her moaning my name, her legs wrapped around my waist as I buried myself between her thighs. I wanted her to writhe beneath my touch, eager to spend eternity at my side. Even now, I hated the distance between us. It felt unnatural, like a coil of unease had taken root in my stomach.
I let traces of my magic stretch, sending tendrils out to find her, like how I’d tracked her in Cocytus. Her presence wassubtle, a mere brush of heat in my quickly cooling realm, but it was there. My little witch was safe in Elysian.
Persephone was captivating. The way she made me feel alive was intoxicating. I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted another. More than I had wanted anything. But most of all, I was desperate for her toseeme.
Persephone was the only partner to want me without knowing my title. And fates damn me, but I would sacrifice both our realms to have her look at me with something other than fear and hatred again.