Hades laid his hand on my throat. It glowed brightly for a moment, and I felt my vocal cords heat. And heat. My eyes went wide at the increasing burn until a scream ripped from me. The tiny-knives-in-the-throat feeling that I’d experienced with the poison didn’t come close to the slicing pain I felt.
“Stop! Please stop,” I begged. The heat disappeared, and Hades held me as I cried.
“Forgive me,” he whispered. I didn’t answer as I clung to him.
The lingering pain faded to the point I could wipe my tears.
I tried saying his name and couldn’t.
“It didn’t work,” I said.
He slowly shook his head. “I stopped before I could remove it.”
“Could you remove it?”
He smoothed his hands over my hair. The way he held my gaze told me that he could have removed it, but it would have hurt. A lot.
“We will find another way,” he said.
With a flick of Hades’ hand, Megan appeared in front of us. It looked like she’d been mid-Oanen kiss based on the way her arms were wrapped around nothing and her head was tipped back.
She jerked a little and looked around. The flames that had ignited in her eyes extinguished when she saw us. She dropped her arms to her sides and cleared her throat.
“Father,” she said with an incline of her head.
“I apologize for interrupting your time with your mate,” he said. “The milk delivered to Ashlyn today was spelled. She can no longer speak my name to summon me.”
The flames in her eyes sparked with her anger.
“I can call Zayn and see if he can remove it.”
“No, I believe the spell is attached to her soul. Removing it might kill her.”
“What do you want me to do?” she asked.
“Find a way to break the bonds of my cage permanently. Work quickly. I feel Ashlyn’s life will depend on it.”
She nodded, and he waved his hand again to send her away.
He caressed my cheek. “Those who wish to hurt you have a plan that requires removing me from your side to ensure its success. Do not fall for any of their traps. Stay here where you are safe. No one is more vital to the survival of this world than you. Never forget that.”
He pressed a kiss to my forehead and led me to the couch. He held me until his time ran out, and he disappeared.
I sat there, alone, staring at nothing, my mind too numb to do anything more than wonder “Why me?”
My phone rang. It was Adira. I didn’t answer.
“It’s like she knows he’s gone,” I said to myself.
“Here,” Zotera said, reminding me that she was still with me. When I turned to look at her, I saw she was holding out a slice of chocolate cake. “I made it with magic, so it’s safe.”
I gave her a tired smile, accepted the cake, and patted the cushion next to me. When she sat, I looked her in the eyes.
“I’m fine. Sad that you’re not here with me, but fine. Thank you for keeping your word and not making things shake. I know you don’t like being away from me. I’m sorry your day ended like this. We’ll try again when things are better.”
I smiled slightly. “And thank you, Zotera, for being so willing to help take care of me. I don’t deserve the way you keep putting my needs before yours, and I hope really soon you’ll be able to stay with Eugene as long as you want.”
She hugged me, careful of the cake.
