“Why not?” I grabbed his hand, and another shock rippled through me.
“Because you can’t trade five souls for two.” A gasp went through the crowd. “You have three souls, and your pup has two. It would be an unfair trade.”
My hand shot to my stomach, and I heard my mother sob.
“She’s pregnant?” My mother’s choked question was soft, but I ignored her.
“What can I do?” I pleaded.
He stared at me. “The trade had to be fair, and freely given.”
“Then take me.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
My head whipped around, and my eyes fell on Lynn. She shuffled towards me, pushing past everyone else, and dropped down next to me. “I have only my soul, and my wolf.” She refused to meet my eyes. She was fully focused on Hades. “Is that a fair enough trade?”
“Lynn.” I reached out to her. “Why?”
She turned and hushed me. Hades smirked. “Are you both willing?” He tilted his head. “I need to hear it from both of you.”
Lynn nodded. “I, Lynn Wetherstone, agree to the trade.” Megan whined, and it slipped from my lips.
Why is she giving up her life?Megan hovered at the edge of the trees, torn. I knew Nix, and she was feeding power to the tether, trying to keep it alive, but they were losing.
I don’t know.I answered my wolf inside my head.
Lynn’s eyes shifted to a burning copper, and her eyes turned to me. “I, Kona, agree to the trade.”
Another whimper broke free. “Kona…why?”
She smiled. “Lynn won’t say it, but I will.” Kona turned to me and grabbed my free hand. “Because she is broken. We are both broken. In a fundamental way that we are both sure will never fully heal.” Her eyes dimmed, and she allowed me to see inside her. All the pain, the hollowness that she had been hiding. My hand tightened in hers. “We could go on. We could try to live without that fundamental piece of ourselves. Or…” She leaned in to me and kissed my cheek. “We can do this.”
I watched her eyes change back to Lynn’s. “You said you were getting better.” I managed to get out. My heart broke even more. I cupped her face. “This is my fault. I should have saved you sooner.”
She shook her head as she smiled. “You did everything you could for me, Amy.” She leaned into my hand. “You gave me space when I needed it, a safe space to process everything. And you listened.” She closed her eyes. “But more importantly…” She sighed. “You gave me my revenge.” Her eyes snapped open. “I’ve done everything I needed to do. Let me do this for you.”
“I don’t want to lose you either.” I shook my head as I leaned my forehead against hers.
“You have to lose someone. You heard the man.” Hades chuckled softly. “A soul for a soul. My soul for Rowan’s and Kona’s for Erubus’s.” She turned to Selene. “Would that be a fair trade?” I felt hope bubble up, but I pushed it away. Either way I looked at this, I was losing someone I loved.
Selene looked at Hades. “It would be for me.”
Hades stared at Lynn for a moment then he turned his eyes back to me. “I will agree with a caveat.”
I felt my chest tighten. “What is the caveat?”
Hades stared at me for a minute. “There will come a day that I will come to you both with a proposition. And you cannot turn it down.” His eyes bore into me. I opened my mouth, but he held up his hand. “You can’t ask questions, and you can’t say yes now, and then change your mind later. You have to swear today that you will say yes.” I felt fear grip me. “I can promise you it will not cause harm to anyone. And it will be within your power.”
I stared at him for a second. “Will he be whole?” I was terrified I would sacrifice one for someone broken.
“What do you mean?” Hades lifted his eyebrow.
“Will Rowan be whole? Exactly the same as he was before he died. Nothing broken inside of him, no fresh horror waiting to shatter his mind. Whole, healthy, and safe.” I sounded panicked, and I was. Lynn gripped my hand trying to calm me down.
Hades nodded. “Your mate will be complete and unharmed. He will remember everything except his time in the Underworld.” He held out his hand. “Do you agree?”
I turned to Lynn. “I can’t ask this of you.” I bit my lip so hard I drew blood.
