Chapter 66
HADES
Erebus noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
Hades should have known his brother would sense the shift long before anyone else.
Unfortunately, that also meant the teasing had become unbearable.
"You realize," Erebus drawled from the chair across the office, "that you have looked at her at least seventeen times in the last five minutes."
Hades didn't even glance up from the document in front of him. "Leave."
"No."
Elara, seated beside Hades with an open book in front of her, failed to hold back a quiet snort.
Erebus pointed at her immediately. "See? She likes me."
"She tolerates you," Hades corrected flatly.
"Barely," Elara added under her breath.
Erebus pressed a hand dramatically to his chest. "You wound me."
Hades finally looked up, his expression unimpressed, though Elara caught the faintest flicker of amusement in his eyes. It was strange how easily she could notice things like that now. Before, Hades had felt unreadable.
Now?
Now she could almost feel him.
The bond pulsed softly beneath her skin the moment his gaze landed on her, warmth brushing through her chest.
And judging by the subtle shift in his expression...
He felt it too.
Erebus' grin widened slowly. "Gods, this is even worse than I thought."
"Erebus," Hades warned.
"Oh, relax." Erebus leaned back lazily in the chair. "I'm happy for you, brother."
That made Hades pause.
Not because of the words themselves—but because Erebus sounded sincere.
Elara noticed it too.
The teasing remained, but beneath it there was something honest. Relief, maybe. Like part of Erebus had been waiting a very long time to see Hades care about something again.
Erebus sighed softly before his expression shifted more serious.
"Joking aside," he said, looking between them now, "the bond is strong."
The atmosphere in the room changed immediately.
Hades straightened slightly. "I know."
"No," Erebus replied quietly. "I don't think you do."
Elara's fingers stilled against the page.
Erebus leaned forward, forearms resting on his knees. "What awakened between you two isn't small. It isn't subtle. And now that it's happened..." His gaze darkened slightly. "Others will sense it."
A cold tension settled into the room.
Elara frowned slightly. "Others?"
"Gods. Creatures. Ancient beings." Erebus exhaled softly. "Anything tied to the prophecy or the balance between realms."
Hades moved closer to Elara without even seeming aware of it.
Instinct.
Possessive and protective all at once.
Erebus noticed, of course.
His mouth twitched slightly, but he let it pass this time.
"The final Bridge awakening a soul bond with the King of the Underworld?" Erebus continued. "That kind of power doesn't stay hidden."
Elara swallowed softly.
"What happens now?" she asked quietly.
Hades answered immediately.
"We keep you safe."
The firmness in his voice made her look at him.
He meant it.
Entirely.
Erebus rubbed a hand over his jaw before sighing. "You need to be careful, Hades."
"I always am."
"With her, you're not thinking clearly."
That made Hades' eyes sharpen dangerously.
But Erebus held his stare.
"You're already acting on instinct," he said carefully. "And instinct can become recklessness very quickly when it comes to someone you love."
The room went completely still.
Elara's breath caught faintly.
Hades did not correct him.
Erebus noticed that too.
A slow grin returned to his face. "Ah," he murmured. "So we've reached that point."
"Elara," Hades said calmly, still staring directly at Erebus, "would you be terribly upset if I killed him?"
"Depends," she said, trying not to smile. "Temporarily?"
Erebus barked out a laugh. "There she is."
But then his expression shifted once more, becoming serious again.
"Listen to me carefully," he said quieter now. "Something changed the moment you bonded. The prophecy is moving now. Whatever has been waiting for signs of the final Bridge..." His eyes flicked toward Elara. "It knows you exist."
A chill moved down Elara's spine.
And instantly—
Warmth wrapped around her through the bond.
Hades.
Steady. Protective. Reassuring.
Her eyes flicked toward him automatically.
His jaw was tight, his body tense, but beneath it she could feel one thing clearly:
I will protect you.
The intensity of it nearly overwhelmed her.
?
ELARA
The bond was... overwhelming sometimes.
Not painful.
Just constant.
Like suddenly becoming aware of another soul existing beside your own at every moment of the day.
At first she thought she was imagining things.
The warmth that spread through her chest whenever Hades entered a room. The strange sense of calm she felt whenever he touched her. The way she could almost sense his emotions before he spoke.
But she wasn't imagining any of it.
The bond was alive between them now.
And she was still learning how to exist with it.
Sometimes she would suddenly feel warmth and affection bloom inside her chest only to look up and find Hades already watching her from across the room.
Other times she felt tension and protectiveness so strongly through the bond that she would instinctively look toward him before realizing the emotion hadn't originated from her at all.
It came from him.
That realization alone had nearly destroyed her composure earlier that morning.
She had been sitting beside him in his office while he worked, trying very hard to focus on the book in front of her, when a sudden rush of overwhelming tenderness wrapped around her chest so intensely she physically froze.
Then she looked up.
And found Hades staring at her.
That was when she understood.
The feeling had been his.
"You're blushing," he murmured quietly.
Her face became even warmer instantly. "This bond is humiliating."
A quiet laugh escaped him, low and soft.
Gods, she loved that sound.
"You felt that?" he asked.
She covered part of her face with the book. "Please stop talking."
His amusement brushed through the bond immediately, warm enough that she nearly groaned aloud.
It was unfair.
Completely unfair.
But despite how overwhelming it could feel sometimes...
She didn't regret any of it.
Not even for a second.
Because now she understood something she hadn't before:
She was no longer alone in the world.
And somehow... Hades felt that too.
He hovered more now. Stayed close without seeming aware of it. His hand always found her somehow—against her back, brushing her fingers, resting briefly against her waist whenever he sensed her becoming overwhelmed.
Protective had become an understatement.
Now it felt instinctive.
Ancient.
Like something deep inside him had fully accepted her as his to protect.
And the terrifying thing?
A part of her loved it.
But far beyond the palace walls...
Something stirred.
Deep within forgotten darkness, ancient eyes snapped open.
A pulse of golden energy echoed through the void.
Warm. Bright. Alive.
The Bridge had awakened.
The bond had formed.
And something that had been waiting for centuries finally smiled.
Found you.