Mended Souls (Hades Duet #2)

Chapter 1

KADENCE

Sharp, throbbing pain thrummed in my skull, radiating at the base of my neck.

My throat was raw, dry, and felt like sandpaper.

My heart pounded so heavily in my chest that I heard it in my ears, rapidly beating at an inhumane pace.

My eyes snapped open, and even in the darkness, the world spun as nausea swirled in my gut.

I pulled my arms, only to feel resistance and hear metal on metal scraping against my eardrums, not helping the pounding in my head.

My pulse picked up, but panicking would not help me.

What happened? Where was I? A haunting scream rematerialized in my thoughts.

The scene that played felt like a dream, but it was reality—my reality.

Everything slowly returned, hitting me like a ton of bricks.

Hunter asked me what my name was.

Hawke. A very rage-filled, terrifying Hawke.

His rough hand wrapping around my throat and slamming me against the wall. The needle…the bastard drugged me. Why would he do that when he knew what they did to me?

I moved my head, only sending ripples of pain through my throbbing skull.

It was useless when I was cloaked in darkness.

The room had no windows, and a bone-aching chill was in the air.

It felt damp with a stomach-churning aroma.

I didn’t want to know what it was, but I took a deep breath trying to calm my erratic nerves, forcing the bile back that threatened to escape my lips.

It was silly to think I could slip away from my past and create a new life.

The past always came back, and this time it was angry.

There was a sinking feeling in my chest, dragging me deeper and deeper into the pits of despair.

Pulling at my restraints, a frustrated whine fell from my lips as the chains clattered together.

The pit in my gut deepened with every passing second, trapped in the darkness and alone with my thoughts and the demons lurking in the corners.

What did I do? The look in Hawke’s eyes was feral, lethal. He wanted to kill me, and he would have, but he brought me here instead. Why? Hawke was the only one who knew what happened to me. He acted like the father I wished I had growing up, but what did I do to make him this angry?

The lights flickered, giving an eerie and tense feeling to the ominous atmosphere.

The silence was deafening, and the panicked sound of my heartbeat was loud in my ears.

The floor and walls were stained with God only knew what, and I shivered at the thought of my own blood coating these walls.

It was like a horror movie, except I was the victim trapped in the killer's lair.

The door slammed open, ricocheting off the wall as bright light shined from the stairs above.

The sound of heels on creaky wood reverberated through the dark room, each step punctuated with anger and force, the rhythm steady and deliberate as she made her descent.

If she was trying to incite fear, she fucking succeeded.

As the flickering continued while her footsteps came closer, shadows shifted and swirled in the corners of my vision, playing tricks on my already frayed nerves.

This was her tactic. I haphazardly pulled at the chains again, feeling the metal bite into my skin, grazing and cutting my wrists. The bite of the pain was nothing compared to the fear skittering down my spine.

Blaize descended from the shadows until she stepped into my peripheral, rage and malice carved into her features. Her honey eyes showed no sign of the same woman I’d fallen in love with. There was only anger and hatred. “Hello, Kadence.”

I tugged the chain above my hands, needing something to hold onto from the bitterness in her voice. “Blaize? What’s going on?”

She circled me like a predator about to claim their prey.

Goosebumps kissed my skin as my entire body shuddered.

I tried to steady myself, clinging desperately to anything that might anchor me to reality.

Sweat beaded on my forehead, despite the chill hitting my skin.

I was caught in a hurricane of fear and confusion, stumbling, desperate to find dry land.

She grabbed my jaw with intense force, her nails digging into my soft flesh.

“I hate fucking liars.” Her petulant voice cut me deep. “You really had me for a moment.”

“What are you talking about?” I thought we were doing well. We finally took a step in the right direction and opened up about our feelings. What happened in a few short hours to make her do this?

She growled, jerking her hand from me so fast it made my head spin. “Don’t play fucking coy. You got one of my girls killed, and Fallon is in intensive care.”

My eyes grew wide, a sob lodging itself in my throat. Not Fallon. My voice was hoarse, and it hurt to speak, but I asked the burning question, “W-who was killed?”

That question infuriated her. “Like you don’t fucking know.

You’re going to pay for hurting Layla.” A sob ripped from my throat as fresh tears fell from my eyes.

Layla was one of the first friends I made when I came to the clubhouse.

She was compassionate, bubbly, and kind.

She reminded me of a spring day, so happy and full of life.

“Blaize, please. I didn’t.” My pleas fell on deaf ears.

“How do you know Elijah West?” I winced, shrinking against myself at the ferocity in her voice and confusion at her question.

Who? The uncertainty must have been clear on my face.

“You don’t know the monster you’re trying to bring back?”

She pulled out a long dagger with a dragon-scaled hilt.

If I wasn’t scared shitless, the intricate detail of the dragon scales coiling around her fingers with emerald gemstones would impress me, but I was too distracted by the fact she was going to use it to kill me.

My breathing came in shallow and erratic as the cool metal pressed against my throat and I tensed, feeling the edge of the blade scrape against my skin.

Her fingers curled into my hair, yanking my head back.

I screamed, but the panicked breathing made it come out like a pained moan.

Her mouth was by my ear, her breathing heavy. “Who killed her?” I gasped as the knife cut my skin. “Huh?” Her anger radiated off her like a fiery inferno, burning me with every sharp word.

“Blaize,” I croaked, my voice shaking. “You’re scaring me. Please. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I want to know who you are,” she hissed. “This happened the moment you stepped foot onto my territory, and I know you’re connected.”

“Blaize, I don’t know! Please,” I whimpered.

“You got me.” She laughed, but it was hollow. “You used your pretty eyes and sad story to distract me, and I fucking fell for it,” she jeered. “That boyfriend of yours will pay, just like you will. I don’t take kindly to people betraying me.”

Fear gripped me, sending shivers down my spine.

It was primal, consuming every fiber of my being.

I’d been scared before, but this level of fear was nothing like I’d ever experienced.

This was a side of Blaize I’d never laid eyes on.

She’d been intense and all-consuming, but I’d never had bone-chilling fear screaming inside me because of this gorgeous woman.

The knife, the trickle of blood dripping down my neck, and the radiating fury from Blaize made my mind imagine every worst-case scenario playing out vividly.

She was going to kill me, but she was going to torment me first before she finished me off.

Blaize didn’t realize what she was doing to me, but it was partially my fault because I hid my broken past from her.

I was going to tell her. I wanted a few more days so I wouldn’t break into a million pieces.

When I imagined finally revealing my truth, I never expected this to be one of the scenarios.

I thought I could sit down with her in private and confess everything to her.

It was foolish to think she would hold me, whispering sweet praises as I sobbed in her arms, but it’s how I wanted it to happen.

I was fucking stupid. This was not how I wanted it to be done.

The edge of the knife dug into my arm, nicking my flesh as more blood dripped down. Blaize was feral, holding on by a thread. Why didn’t I just tell her why I came here? I just chose a town furthest away from my past. All I wanted was peace, not this.

“Tell me who sent you!”

“Goddamnit, no one! Everyone thinks I’m dead!”

I took a staggered breath, my chest tightening.

Routine breathing was non-existent, as quick gasps, erratic and shallow escaped my mouth.

The room shrunk around me, engulfing me in darkness, but in the shadows, I saw his eyes.

I heard his laugh. I pulled vigorously at my restraints, fighting a ghost.

The door slammed open, and I saw a familiar, smaller shadow fighting a larger shadow, but the voices were muffled, drowning out from the panic swirling around me and dulling my senses.

He was here, in the darkness taunting me, creeping closer as my skin burned.

Pain erupted in my wrists, and I thought I felt blood, but instead numbness slowly creeped around me.

Liam was coming for me to finish what he started.

He already destroyed me, why was he coming back?

I screamed, thrashing harder, trying to break free. Dom was here, too, laughing, mocking me. Why was he doing this to me again? Why did he pretend to love me and then take a part of my soul?

“Please, Dominic, don’t let him hurt me!” I sobbed, feeling myself break again.