“Mates? I don’t understand. Why are you being like this? You were such a good and loving mother to me. What happened to you?”
“Your father happened to me. His need to possess me. Keep me at all costs. I’m not a bird you can keep in a cage.”
“Daddy?”
She rolls her eyes. “Not Hank. Bless that man’s soul. No. Your real father, Hades. He wouldn’t let me take you home. I was forced to leave you in the mortal realm. It broke me, not being able to be with you, but you’re here now. I’m weary from the journey, let’s go in somewhere and talk.”
“Not until you release my boyfriends.” She purses her lips, considering. Something about what she’s saying isn’t adding up. Hecate and Nyx said she’s been planning this for a long time.
“I’ll have them taken back to the palace under supervision. That’s the best I can do.”
“How do I know you’ll keep your word?” I ask, eyes searching her emotionless face.
“That’s good that you have a fire within you. You’ll need it.”
“You’re nothing like I remember.” I confess, feeling the sharp knife of disappointment twisting in my heart.
“Memories are a funny thing. You see, when you look at the past with rose colored glasses, it tints the reality of what happened. You’ll never see things for the way they truly were.” She cocks her head, looking me up and down. “I’ll make a bargain with you. You join me at my side, and I’ll let those three boys go.” She holds out her hand for me to shake.
Apprehension digs into my stomach. I take a step back and she strikes. Blasting me back with her power. I slam into the ground, feeling wetness seep from my head. Unconsciousness threatens to pull me under as I see her looming above me. “This could have gone so much easier for you. Take her too.”
I feel myself being jostled off the cobblestones, carried into a dark carriage before I completely pass out.
* * *
“Skye!Skye, baby, please open those beautiful eyes of yours.” Lukas pleads.
I groan, vision swimming. “What… what happened?” My voice is hoarse, and my mouth feels dry. Light streams in between the bars that surround us, and I can see a blood stain coating my pants. My head stings and feels fuzzy around the edges.
“Your mom happened.” Graham answers. I see his hands hooked in a contraption above is head. Lukas, and Sloan are also contained in the same way.
“Fuck, baby. That lump on your head looks painful. Are you okay? You’ve been out for a while.” Lukas asks, his voice shaken.
“This is all my fault. I should have gone with Salem.”
“You had hope. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Sloan says. It’s clear that we’ve been traveling for some time because there’s a bright red ring around their wrists where they hang. The iron scraping against their skin, rubbing it raw. I realize that I’m not chained, instead I’m sprawled out on the carriage floor, bruised up but otherwise okay.
I reach inside myself and push my magic along my skin. Slowly, I’m able to get up and move without any pain. I stand and go over to where Sloan hangs, placing my hands around his restraints. Sending a jolt of power to the cuff, I watch as it breaks apart and he falls, knees crumpling to the ground. He brushes himself off and flexes his wrists, wriggling his fingers before helping me to get Graham and Lukas down as well.
“I don’t think they heard us.” I look outside and see the terrain passing us by at a steady pace. It’s bleak and depressing. Nothing like the town we’d been in.
“Do you think we can get out of here without them noticing?” Graham asks, gripping the bars that separate us from the outside.
“Only one way to find out.” I answer, going to push my magic against the carriage doors. It won’t budge. Frowning, I concentrate and try again. Nothing. “Magic suppressor.” I whisper, remembering my mother saying to put Hecate and Nyx into special cuffs. They must use it on the doors as well. They were taken in a separate carriage.
“Shit.” Sloan grabs at his hair. He didn’t have time to put it into a bun, so it flows freely about his shoulders.
“I have an idea.” Lukas says. “They don’t have to know we’ve been freed from our cuffs. We’ll pretend to still be locked up, and when they come for us, we’ll jump them.”
I nod. “Okay.” They take their positions back up and wait for the carriage to arrive.
Regret claws at me as I settle back down on the ground, knees tucked against my chest. My mother who I’d grieved in her death, isn’t really who I thought her to be. She’s everything Hecate and Nyx warned us about. Turning her power on me like that. Locking us up in here. Trying to overthrow Hades. She’s truly lost. I shake my head feeling stupid for thinking that seeing me could have made some difference. I just hope there’s time to rectify the situation.
PartThree
CHAPTER45
Chapter Forty-Five
