He sighed and stepped into the hallway. “Go, goddess. Do what you will, and when you are ready to welcome me into your body, call to me.”
That broke the spell he’d woven.
Call to him? Ha! I wouldn’t even if I had a voice.
I wasn’t sure who I was trying to fool with that thought because I would have called to him if he hadn’t appeared when he had.
Unsure what else to do, I resumed checking the endless number of rooms, using the key to mark the door by the stairwell on each level I checked.
Eventually, I found another balcony area. For two seconds, it looked exactly like the other one. Then a wall popped into existence, circling the edge with its waist-high height.
Hades, who’d been quietly following in my wake, moved to stand behind me. Although he didn’t touch me, I could feel him there. Silent. Judging.
“Do not try to leave me again,” he said, his voice low with barely contained anger.
I wasn’t sure how to reassure him that I had no intention of jumping to my death, so I stayed where I was and stared out at the the dimly glowing lake in the distance. The cool wind played with the loose strands of my hair, and I briefly wondered if monsters roamed the lands or swam in the frozen waters. I knew nothing of Hell. The books I read were always about the children of the gods, not the gods’ homes.
This bleak and barren place was not where I wanted to spend my eternity. I had to figure a way out of here.
“Look at her skin,” he said softly beside me. “A touch. A taste. I’ve waited so long.” The back of his hand brushed against the back of mine, and he moaned.
Some of my fear made room for a smidge of pity. Hades was so messed up in the head.
I frowned as I yet again wondered why. Only this time, I wondered why theking of Hellwas crazy, not some random creature. When he was C’adon, I’d assumed his craziness was due to whatever torture he’d undergone in that room. But now, I couldn’t help wonder who would torture Hades? Only a crazy person. Or someone who had a very painful and slow death wish. Which had to be no one ever.
Maybe he had already been crazy when whoever had managed to chain him to the wall. Maybe that’s why he’d allowed it. Because after witnessing the way he’d freed himself, that was the only explanation I could come up with. He’d allowed himself to be chained.
My stomach took that moment to growl hungrily.
“By Zeus, you are mine to provide for.” His hand brushed against mine again before he moved away from me. “Yes, something to tempt you.”
A table appeared, set with a plate of bread, a bowl of stew, and two cups. Hoping to appease his mood and keep it above psychotic levels, I hurried past him to take my seat. Like before, I could feel him lingering behind me. Ignoring the sensation, I focused on the new experience of eating outside. The wall blocked my view of the land, but not the black sky. Briefly, I wished there were stars to look at.
Eating under the stars wasn’t something I’d ever done. All of my experiences outside the prison of my home had revolved around me being a human training tool for the children of the gods. My time at the Roost was used as general “human interaction” practice for whichever creatures showed up. The picnics at the docks had been the same sort of training sessions for the mermaids. Luckily, my uncle’s lessons were thorough, and I’d kept my ass out of the water.
Until that time with Megan.
I sighed as I remembered when I had been dragged into the lake. I’d never seen a fury in action, but she’d taken on at least a half dozen mermaids to pull me out then threatened to jump back in if they didn’t return my phone.
A small smile curved my lips at the memory.
“She smiles,” Hades said, his tone ominous. He strode around the table and stopped in front of me, his hands fisted at his sides. “Speak your wish. End the torment, and take your payment.”
I internally swore at myself for forgetting his hate of happiness and scrambled to come up with a way to undo it. Last time I’d smiled, he’d run away. This time, it looked like he was ready to fight.
A knife appeared in one fist, and he slammed it into the table beside my plate, making all the dishes rattle and confirming my thought.
“Take your payment,” he raged.
Trembling, I forced my gaze from the wicked knife to look at him. Maybe if he saw I wasn’t just unhappy but on the verge of tears, he would back off.
His hard gaze collided with mine. There was nothing nice or soft about his expression. However, the silent snarl pulling at his full lips still didn’t mar his unearthly beauty.
While I stared up at him and scrambled to come up with a way to appease him, a ball of light exploded into existence just beyond his ear, over the lake. Tiny at first, it hurtled toward us at an alarming rate, rapidly growing in size. It looked like it was headed right for the balcony.
Oblivious to the spectacle, Hades slapped his hand against the table.
“Choose, Goddess. Blood is due.”
