He’d feared I would reject it and him all over again. And in the arena, before all the gods, I’d done exactly that.
And still, he’d come for me. His love would not die. Could never die.
“My black soul is yours,” he said, his voice thick. “I’ll atone for the pain I caused you, even though I know nothing can ever truly make up for?—”
“You’ve given me everything you are and more,” I cut in. “You didn’t cause the pain and suffering. Our enemies did. And today, they answer for it.”
Fury and love seared my mate’s gaze, brighter than the fires consuming the city below.
“Now they know,” he said. “You’re the most powerful being in any realm. That’s why the Fates targeted you. Why they crafted the curse. They sought to contain you before you became unstoppable.”
He’d pieced it all together, the full, cruel scope of what had been done to us.
“I’ll find their lair,” he vowed. “I will drag the sisters to the Underworld and make them pay for every moment they stole.”
“There is no need,” I said. “They’ve been dealt with. I plucked the curse apart and set all of their threads on fire—their eons of purpose and pride. That was the worst punishment for beings like them.”
“My queen.” He nodded in respect.
No one would ever hijack my fate again. No one would hold my destiny but me.
And no one would ever lay hands on my mate again.
“Long live Queen Persephone!” Dante’s roar shook the streets below, while Hades and I soared above the clouds.
“Long live Queen Persephone!” our army thundered in response, their voices a unified war cry as they clashed with the remaining defenders.
“Loot later!” Dante shouted, a wild grin in his voice.
I rolled my eyes, smiling. “He’s such a drama queen.”
My mate chuckled. Beside him, Cerberus added a low, rumbling sound.
“Let him have his moment,” Hades said, his gaze warm. “He’s earned it.”
His team had been loyal—all but Morrigan.
“I’m sorry for the warriors we lost during my reincarnations,” I said.
He was silent for a moment, sorrow surfacing in his eyes.
“Life is not forever,” he replied, his voice a low sigh. “But death is. They are honored in our halls. Their loyalty is remembered.”
“Do they get the best suites in the Underworld?” I asked, forcing lightness into my tone to pull him back from the edge. “The finest food? Endless entertainment?”
He recognized the effort and offered a faint, grateful smile. “All of that, and more. And I have you back. If I lost you again, I wouldn’t survive it.”
“You now have me for eternity,” I said softly, letting the promise settle between us.
Tears glistened in his eyes. His love for me was so profound it hurt. “That is all I’ve ever wanted, my queen.”
From our height, the battle unfolded with brutal clarity.
Armies clashed in the streets and courtyards below—a chaos of magic, steel, and teeth.
Life met death.
The minor gods could be killed; their immortality was not guaranteed. Demons and creatures could be slain, their essence returning to the bowels of the Underworld to be reformed.
