Chapter 47
Elara's POV
It had been days since Erebus first appeared, and somehow, he hadn't left.
The shadows seemed to cling to the palace more than ever, whispering of his presence even when she couldn't see him.
And when she did see him, he was always near. Too near.
"Your brother doesn't like me talking to you," Elara said one afternoon when she caught Erebus leaning casually against one of the marble pillars in the corridor. His shadow stretched unnaturally long across the floor.
"Correction," Erebus smirked, tilting his head. "My brother doesn't like me talking to you. There's a difference."
Elara sighed, exasperated. "Do you ever stop trying to annoy him?"
"No," he said simply, lips curling into that wicked grin of his. "It's far too entertaining. Especially when you blush, and he looks ready to tear me apart."
She frowned, crossing her arms. "You're impossible."
He leaned closer, his voice lowering into something almost serious. "Maybe. But I need to know something." His gaze pinned her, all teasing stripped away for a moment. "Are you using him?"
Elara stiffened, her breath caught. "What?"
"Don't play dumb." Erebus's eyes darkened, but there was no malice there—only sharp honesty. "He's been different since you arrived. Softer. Vulnerable. And whether he realizes it or not, that makes him a target. So tell me—what do you want from him?"
Her chest tightened at the bluntness of the question. "I'm not using him," she whispered. "I never would. I just... I didn't ask to be here."
For a flicker, Erebus's expression softened. "Good." Then, like flipping a switch, his grin returned. "Because if you break him, I'll have to kill you. And it would be a shame, considering you're much prettier than most mortals I've met."
"Elara."
She turned sharply at the sound of Hades's voice. He was standing at the end of the corridor, his eyes narrowed on Erebus, his entire form radiating controlled fury.
Erebus chuckled. "Speak of the devil. Or rather, the king." He straightened, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve. "Don't worry, brother, I was just keeping your little bridge entertained."
Elara opened her mouth to protest, to tell Hades that wasn't true—but Erebus draped an arm over her shoulder before she could, pulling her into his side.
Her jaw dropped. "Erebus!"
Hades's entire frame went rigid, his power humming dangerously in the air. Shadows thickened at his feet, and for a moment Elara thought he might actually unleash them.
"I told you not to do that," Elara hissed at Erebus, shoving him off. He only laughed, winking at her before slipping back into the shadows as if he'd never been there at all.
She turned back to Hades, her heart racing, but the look in his eyes made her freeze.
He thought she'd let Erebus touch her.
He thought...
"I—it wasn't like that," she tried, her voice unsteady.
But Hades only inclined his head slightly, his face unreadable, before turning away.
And that hurt more than his anger ever could.
?
Hades's POV
He shouldn't care. He told himself this over and over as he walked away, his hands clenched at his sides.
But he did.
Seeing Erebus's arm around her—seeing her lips parted in shock, her cheeks flushed—it cut him in a way he hadn't felt in centuries. It was irrational. Foolish. She wasn't his. She could choose.
And yet, the thought of her choosing Erebus made his blood boil.
He knew his brother too well. Erebus never did anything without purpose. The teasing, the proximity—it wasn't just to irritate him. It was to test her. To test him. To see how far Hades would go.
But what unsettled him most wasn't Erebus.
It was the way Elara hadn't shoved him away fast enough.
Or maybe he was just lying to himself. Maybe he was too far gone already.