They stole and they desecrated and theyruined.
Her stomach gave a mighty squeeze as it cramped. Persephone dropped the chalice and bent at the waist, wrapping her arms around her middle. Pain flared as her muscles spasmed and fire spread through every fiber. Her throat swelled to twice its size and made it impossible to breathe.
Hades walked a slow circle around her as she struggled. His gaze was calculative and a single eyebrow lifted a fraction, his lips pursed and jaw clenched. It was the same face he made across the chess board when he placed his pieces to make the winning move.
Persephone fell to her hands and knees and coughed as her lungs seized, red spattering the rug below. Her arms buckled from the tremors and her face hit the stone floor, nose breaking on impact. Persephone’s throat was closed, her body bleeding from the inside out and, for the second time in her miserable life, she was dying at the feet of a man who betrayed her.
Hades' feet blurred in her line of vision as he stopped, the world fading to gray as her body failed. “One day, Beauty, you’ll learn to stop trusting and start playing.”
When Chaos had come back with Xia tucked safely beneath his arm, Brooks didn’t speak. He’d known he needed to apologize, but hadn’t worked out exactly what for. After she stormed out, he and Chaos argued for eternity before his dark passenger left to be with her.
He still didn’t know whether or not he should have been the one to go to her. Maybe that’s what he owed an apology for?
They didn’t say a word as she crawled into bed beside him. Chaos laid tucked in behind her until he was too weak to stay. Xia had fallen asleep on his chest and that’s how they’d stayed until morning. The space between them remained tense as they rose and prepared for what lay ahead. His stomach fluttered when he thought about what the day may bring, but knew he couldn’t dwell on it. Keeping Xia safe meant staying aware. He still wished he could tuck her away in the village as he carriedout revenge, but he knew she would refuse.
They sat in silence around the table, both fiddling with wooden cups filled with water Xia filtered from the river. A door creaked open down the hall and they turned to watch Nyx trudge into the room. Her eyes were a swollen red, her upper lip puffy and skin pallid.
“What happened to you?” he gawked. Xia kicked Brooks under the table. “What?”
“Mind your own fucking business.” Nyx slapped the back of his head as she walked by. She was lucky Chaos was recovering.
“Message received,” he murmured as he rubbed the spot she’d hit.
Nyx turned to lean against the counter, facing the two of them with a dead look in her eyes. She looked like a girl with nothing to lose, and those were the most dangerous of them all.
“Are we ready?”
Xia looked to Brooks, her brow drawn in silent question.
“Uh, we were waiting on you. You’re the one with the grand plan, remember?”
“Huh,” Nyx scoffed. “Why the hell did you tear my brain apart looking for a portal if you intended for me to lead you there anyway?”
“I said I was sorry, Nyx.”
“Yeah well, sorry doesn’t always cut it, now does it?”
“I suppose not.”
“Oh, you suppose? Perfect.”
“Nyx?” Xia’s voice was gentle as if she were approaching a rabid animal.
“Let’s just get this over with already.” Nyx pushed herself from the counter and stomped toward the door.
Xia and Brooks shared a final glance before gathering the parchment invitation and chasing her down. The two stayed wellaway from the leader and watched every step she took as if they could analyze the problem based solely on her stomps.
“We need to be careful with her,” Xia whispered. “She’s obviously upset and looking for a fight.”
“Well Chaos will be the one to give it to her.”
“No!” Xia scolded. “Both of you will keep your shit together and take every punch she throws, because that’s what she needs.”
“Will you two shut up? If I have to hear your high-pitched voice one more time, princess, I’m going to tie a gag to your mouth.”
Chaos stirred, but Brooks pushed him back.
“I’m sorry, Nyx.” The hurt in her voice made him want to slam that scrawny ass girl into a tree and rip her face to shreds with the bark.
