Page 90 of Spring's Descent

Hades gave a slight dip of his chin as I sat. His eyes were fully black, his bat-like wings and ram horns proudly in place, and I found I liked the look of them. I liked the feel of them beneath my hands as I rode his face even more. His lips twitched as he felt the flush of desire rush through me, but he held his tongue and took a seat in the obsidian throne next to mine.

“Why is he here?” Lark asked, eyes narrowed on Morpheus.

“Heis here to help you deal with Hypnos.” Morpheus’s lips twitched into a lopsided grin, showing off the hint of fangs.

“Why would you do that?” Lark pushed. Her spine was ridged with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Who better than his son to usurp him?”

“So eager for the crown?” Her gaze narrowed in suspicion.

A flicker of excitement shone in Morpheus’s eyes as he strolled toward her, looking as if he were a cat having found a fluffy mouse to play with.

“Maybe,” he shrugged, his eyes trailing the length of her body, forcing me to take a good look at her for the first time.

While I’d been wrapped in Hades’s touch and soaking in the shower, it was clear Lark had been kept waiting like a prisoner. The back of her hair was coated with dried blood from the wound that had nearly killed her earlier. Her skin was pale and riddled with bruises and cuts, but it was the sprays of scarlet across her dress that seemed to snag Morpheus’s attention.

“Well, aren’t you a vision in red.” He licked his lips. “Tell me, little monster, do you like the taste of blood as much as you like wearing it?”

Lark recoiled as if he’d slapped her, the color draining from her face.

“Enough,” Hecate said, stepping forward to shield Lark. “Larkspur has already been through a great deal tonight and has proven herself loyal to Queen Persephone.”

I inhaled a sharp breath, my hands gripping the carved handles of my throne.

“Truth serum?” Hades asked, but Hecate shook her head, her lips pressing thin.

“She opened her mind to me.”

Thanatos cocked his head to the side, appearing to have waited for this bit of information. “Compelled?”

“Willingly,” Lark answered before Hecate could.

She lifted her chin under Thanatos's assessment, not intimidated one bit by the God of Death. She held his gaze a moment longer before turning toward me. That harsh exterior cracked as she took a step forward, and then another, until she was positioned just before the dais.

Hades tensed beside me, his large wings twitching, but I covered his hand with mine, willing him to let this play out. It wasn’t like she could kill me. I was immortal, now.

“She would never hurt you,” Hecate said. Pain flashed across Lark’s face as guilt showed on mine.

“She already has,” Hades growled, the temperature in the room dropping as shadows swirled around him.

“Enough with the frost, Daddy Darkness.” Morpheus stood by Lark’s side, placing his hands in his pockets as he glanced down at her. “Hecate says the little monster has already opened her mindwillinglyto her. If she had any ill intentions, we would know.”

Lark’s chest heaved as her eyes glazed with the sheen of tears, but she wouldn’t let them fall. Before I could go to her, she dropped to her knees before the throne, bowing her head as she spoke to the obsidian floor.

“The plan was always to escape. That’s why I ran with you as far as I could go… to see you safe.” She shook her head, sitting back on her heels, staring at her palms in her lap. “Psyche was taken six years ago as punishment for my father rejecting Demeter’s advances. She was only fourteen. I’ve been Demeter’s prisoner for nearly as long, having been subjected to her torments just as you have. Worse sometimes. But I refused to give up. I kept fighting, knowing that the horrors I was facing could be only a fraction of what my little sister endured.”

“I’m sor?—”

“Don’t say you’re sorry.” Lark’s gaze snapped to mine. Her cheeks were damp, but a familiar fire was burning in her eyes. “It makes it seem like my sister’s fate is sealed and I refuse to believe that.”

Swallowing, I nodded, but Hades wasn’t moved.

“You compelled my wife to return to The Realm of the Living against her will, forcing her to return to Demeter who tried to drain her of magic.”

“Not to mention ushering Persephone toward the portal through the pomegranate grove,” Morpheus added, seemingimpressed rather than horrified. “Such risks taken with her best friend’s life.”

“It was my only chance,” Lark cut in, fists clenching as she glared up at him. “Haven’t you ever had a person you’d do anything for? Crossing the void between realms, working with a sworn enemy, and yes. Even risking my best friend’s life. I jeopardized the fate of both our realms for the chance to save my sister. And I would do it all over again if it meant Psyche’s life would be spared.”