Page 60 of Spring's Descent
Hecate’s eyes widened, her gaze snapping to Thanatos as he lifted his shoulder in a shrug.
“I thought she was asleep.”
“She needs to know, anyway,” Hades cut in. “We’re running out of time to ease her into this.”
“I agree,” I said as my gaze bounced between them. My eyes narrowed as their guilty expressions became more apparent. “We’re getting married in twelve days. It’s only fair that I know what I’m getting into.”
Thanatos and Hecate shifted uncomfortably, but Hades held my gaze, offering me his outstretched hand as I pushed the cotton covers back and stood.
“You’ve accepted your place at my side?”
“I thought we’d been over this,” I said, batting his hand away, not liking his accusatory tone. I wasn’t sure why he was acting as if he cared about my well-being, but I wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily. “Despite you being a vile, lying demon, if I don’t bond with you, both realms suffer. You’ve made it quite clear I don’t have a choice.”
“You stabbed me,” he seethed.
“Well, you kidnapped me,” I growled, fists clenching. “I’d say we’re even.”
“Not even close, little witch.” Hades’s jaw ticked, the veins along his forearms standing out as the temperature cooled. “After knowing everything, you ran. And that stunt in The Elysian Fields? You insisted on putting your life in danger?—”
“I stopped the death magic. Magic, I might add, that is supposed to be under your control,oh dark one.”
“You shouldn’t have interfered. Hecate had it under control.”
“By doing what?” I seethed, leaning into his threatening glare. God or not, I wasn’t afraid of him and wouldn’t be intimidated into cowering. “By walling off the section of land that was dying? By letting it rot when I could save it?”
“Yes,” he snarled, the blacks of his eyes expanding as the ghost of wings at his back threatened to appear.
“This wasn’t some corner of hell, Hades. This was in Elysian. In paradise?—”
“And I would watch it burn a thousand times over to know you were safe.”
Hades stilled; his eyes went wide as if the confession had been pried from his lips. The room seemed to tilt as my thoughts swirled, too quickly to make sense of them. He was acting as ifmy life mattered to him… no. I was only seeing what I wanted to. Hades had been using me from the start. I was only ever the missing piece to a puzzle left unfinished for far too long.
He lied to me the moment he met me. Stolen me from The Realm of the Living and meant to use me just as everyone else in my life had. For some gods’ forsaken reason, I’d thought that despite everything, I’d stumbled upon someone who might actually see me as something worthwhile. That a part of Hades looked as me and saw a person who mattered.
But the truth was, he would’ve said anything to get me here. I couldn’t believe anything had been real, because if I hoped, if I opened that aching part of my soul and was once again proven wrong, it might just kill me.
“Well,” Thanatos said after the silence had stretched far too long. “I think it’s safe to say Persephone is feeling well enough to attend the ball tonight.”
“Agreed,” Hecate added, following as the two of them headed for the door. “I’ll have preparations made.”
And with that, they fled the room.
I blinked, somehow managing to look past the anguish in Hades’s gaze long enough to remember how to speak.
“What ball? To celebrate our engagement?”
“Yes. Followed by our wedding… in three days’ time.”
38
PERSEPHONE
Three days.The thought raced through my mind as I sat on the edge of the cushioned seat placed before the gilded vanity. Toying with the sleeves of the silk robe Hecate had found for me, I let my mind drift to Hades. I only had three days until I was bound to the God of The Underworld. Gods above, no wonder he had been so worried. So angry. I’d nearly slept through my awakening.
“You’re lucky you woke at all,” Hecate cut in, her ability to read my mind uncanny. My eyes narrowed on her as she looked through the table of cosmetics in small jars and rows set before the mirror.
“Can you read my mind?”