Page 8 of Spring's Descent
“You’d rather die?” Her voice was gentle, but I could hear the worry beneath it.
Unable to meet her gaze, I lifted the bottle to my lips once more, savoring the spices rolling over my tongue. I could almost see the earth where the grapes were grown. Nearly feel them ripening in the sun. Earth witches were meant to connect with nature and spend their lives bettering plants and forests around them. I wondered what my life would have looked like if the realms weren’t set on war.
“I would rather die as myself than live as another.”
Lark’s shoulders slumped as she forced a long, low breath out. Her hazel eyes dropped to the floor for a moment before a forced smile was etched back in place.
“We should go out.”
I snorted at the rapid change in topic. “To where? Her Royal Bitch-Witch is pissed at me for the stableboyandmy refusal to marry Cyrus. There’s bound to be extra eyes on our building tonight.”
Her full lips tilted in a wicked smirk. “It’s a good thing most everyone will be sleeping when we leave.”
“Sneaking out?”
She nodded, seeing the hint of life spark in my eyes. “The kitchen staff have been talking about a traveling singer in the pub. His voice was so captivating that they think he’s descended from faeries—Or that he’s made a deal with Hades himself. The town hasn’t decided which tale to believe, yet.”
“The pub we went to last month?”
“Of course,” Lark said. “Where else would we go around here?”
True. Willowcrest was the only town near enough for late night adventures. Adventures that had proven quite beneficial. I clenched my thighs together, remembering the last week when a tall green witch took me out back in a cluster of oak trees. The bark of the tree he’d pressed me against had bitten into my back as the sweet scent of moon flowers mixed with the musk of his body. The light from the tavern windows stretched across the night while the stars shone overhead.
Nowthathad been a good fuck.
“Most of the town will probably be there,” Lark added, lifting a brow at the blush across my cheeks. “You might see that guy from last time.”
I shook my head. “He was great in bed, but he started praising the Green Coven’s teachings when we came back inside.”
“Like their affinity for healing, or…?”
“More like, ‘women shouldn’t be burden with the pressures of running towns.’”
“Gross.”
“Yep. He asked me if I was on a monthly tonic after we’d already fucked and then proceeded to tell me how he was against them and if a pregnancy was meant to be, we should let nature take its course.”
“Fuck that,” Lark said, shaking her head. “Just because the covens are shrinking doesn't mean we should be forced into parenthood.”
Cyrus had been very vocal on the need to return the coven to what it once was. With more and more witches claimed at their awakenings and fewer people choosing to have children, he wanted to unite witches across The Realm of the Living with the aim of replenishing magic. It sounded good on the surface, but if he had his way, we’d be little more than breeders for the men. Our bodies theirs to use.
And now, I was betrothed to that asshole.
My stomach twisted as I forced out a breath. I reached for the bottle, intending to take another long swig, only to find it empty. My world was entirely fucked, but more wine and a night out with my best friend would go a long way to make things better.
5
HADES
Crisp spring airswirled through the open mouth of the cave as the veil between our worlds lifted. The scent of pine mingled with night-blooming flowers as coarse stones crunched beneath my boots. Soft light of the moon illuminated the rocky alcove I was poised on, shining down on the forest below, as I surveyed the world before me.
Willowcrest was a little over a mile from here, but the full moon and clear skies allowed me to spot the thatched-roofed homes clustered around a boisterous inn. Humans swarmed the place, some pairing off and venturing into the forest while others remained in the spots of light spanning out from the tavern windows.
Mortals had a way of making noise. Like a hive of bees constantly humming. Even now, when the day had long since passed and stars filled the sky, they continued to buzz.
Like an infestation.
Before this century, it had been a hundred years since I’d left The Underworld. Since I’d had a reason to risk forgoing the comforts of my own kingdom to venture into The Realm of the Living. Thanatos and Hecate had been my scouts here forthe better part of a decade while I searched every inch of The Underworld for a trace of Persephone.