Chapter 17
PERSEPHONE
‘You fucker!’ I growl-yelled as I felt him disappear.
I was sure he was going to fuck Minthe, and jealousy and disgust slithered through my veins like poison.
‘You’re such an arrogant twatwaffle!’ Oh, gods, I was furious.
Why had I let him do that? Why had he done that?
I knew why I’d allowed him. Hades was distracting.
Intoxicating. He made me want to simultaneously flee in the opposite direction and rub myself all over him like a fucked-up alley cat.
Gods, maybe it was the effect of the stupid bond?
Watching him work in the kitchen—ugh. His body was a masterpiece.
Muscles bunched along his broad shoulders and biceps, and his tight butt and muscular legs…
I stopped myself before I started drooling.
What in the world of all things holy was wrong with me?
He was probably banging Minthe as I stood there!
I hated him. He was a god!
But I knew I didn’t hate him, even though I wanted to.
Then, the memory of his voice against my cheek—a voice filled with night and dark dreams—and the feel of his massive erection pressing into my back made my nipples harden, which, in turn, infuriated me even more at the response of my rebellious body. He was driving me insane.
I couldn’t stop the small smile of victory that he’d lost the stare off, though. Childish, but satisfying.
I needed to go outside and create more flowers.
Take my mind off the infuriatingly gorgeous god.
‘I’ll fill your kingdom with a million blooms, you moron,’ I muttered to myself.
I stormed outside in a horny huff, making my way through the meadow towards the river.
Waterlilies. I needed waterlilies. Or perhaps marsh marigolds and calla lilies?
Outside, the ethereal amethyst and silver sky glistened like star-fire, and as the grasses and blooming flowers brushed against my lower legs, my rage dissipated into ‘slightly pissed off” instead of ‘I want to punch you in the nuts’.
After about an hour, I reached the river and glanced across where the other side still looked desolate.
Damn it. I needed to get across. This place needed cheering up so badly.
I shucked off my trainers, and as I dipped my foot towards the water, a soft, melodic voice behind me said, ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you.’ I shrieked and spun around.
A young girl stood behind me. Her eyes were a deep blue, like lapis lazuli, matching her flowing blue hair and, you guessed it, the same colour dress. She was otherworldly beautiful. As she studied me, I felt all kinds of self-conscious, dressed in my crop top and yoga pants.
‘Erm, hi,’ I stuttered. ‘I’m—’
‘I know who you are.’ She lifted her chin as she narrowed her eyes.
‘Oh, right.’ I shifted from foot to foot but felt no bad energy from her; I didn’t think she’d harm me. ‘And you are?’
‘Styx. My name is Styx.’
‘Like the river?’ My eyebrows creased.
‘Yes. I am the goddess of the river. We are as one.’
She definitely wasn’t very chatty, but then again, neither was I. I was never good at small talk. ‘I was wondering, if you wouldn’t mind, if I could create some flowers for the riverbanks. I mean, if you—’
She cut me off as she squealed and clapped her hands. ‘Flowers? On my river? Really?’
I nodded enthusiastically as I watched her bounce on her toes. ‘If that’s alright?’
‘Yes!’ She nodded back like a broken bobblehead. Her smile radiated pure joy and lit up her face like the sun breaking through dark thunderclouds.
‘Let’s do it, then.’ I grinned, feeling my flora magic thrumming beneath my skin.
I knelt, placing my hands in the black sand of the riverbank, where the water lapped gently.
My flora magic pulsed through my veins like a symphony of energy as I envisioned an abundance of flowers that loved water.
The vibrancy of the magic shimmered through my veins and sparkled across my skin, enveloping me in a euphoric rush.
I didn’t hold back; I released a burst of pure flora magic and heard Styx gasp.
The riverbanks exploded into a plethora of colour, and a smile tugged at my lips—no waterlilies, but good enough.
‘Fates! That was amazing!’ Styx screeched. ‘Look at my beautiful river.’
A hum of pleasure pulsated through me as I took in the vibrant array of flora, and, for the first time in a long time, I felt needed—really needed. Then, my mind switched to Hades, and I buried the thought.
‘Can I reach the ground on the other side of the river? I can sense life there, waiting to be reborn. It’s so desolate.’ I turned to Styx.
‘Hmm, well, Hades will be very angry if I take you there.’ My face dropped, and she relented. ‘I can help you cross the river. But you must be careful on the side of the dead.’
‘The dead?’ I whispered.
‘They will not hurt you,’ she assured me. ‘I will wait for you to call me and bring you back. But it would be best if you stayed near the river. Do not wander.’
‘Great! I’ll stay near the river. Promise.’ I gave her a wobbly smile. I was a tad unnerved, but as Grandma always said, it’s the living you should be scared of, not the dead.
We waded into the water, and Styx swam across alongside me, the water cooling my flesh. It was further than I thought, and I was exhausted by the time we reached the riverbank.
‘Call me!’ Styx vanished beneath the water with a wave of her hand, and I was alone. Plopping down on my backside, I panted and closed my eyes. Gods, I despised swimming.
‘Excuse me.’ I jerked as I opened my eyes to find a man standing before me. ‘I think I’m lost. I can’t find my wife or child. I don’t know why I’m here. This place is strange. Barren. I don’t like it. I need to get home.’
‘I—’ The words died in my throat as the man faded away. Freaked out, I jumped up, and suddenly, I was flying, reeling, falling, and being tossed left and right.
And then there was nothing.
‘Hmmm, a pretty little snack.’ The low, raspy voice penetrated my mind.
My eyes slowly opened, and I groaned. My vision swam, and the piercing headache felt like a rusty knife scraping at my brain.
With a grunt, I pushed myself into a sitting position and grimaced as I touched the back of my head—it was wet.
What happened? Where was I? My whole body was banged up; the pain was so intense I couldn’t be certain which bones were broken, but I was pretty sure some were.
‘You’re awake. At last.’
My eyes flicked to the sound of the voice, but it was dark.
As my eyes adjusted to the murkiness, I realised I was in a cave.
It felt foreboding, and a shudder rippled through me.
At random intervals, stalactites and stalagmites joined from the floor to the ceiling.
I stiffened, and my stomach flipped with anxiety as the cold air chilled my damp skin.
A flash of flames appeared in my periphery, prompting me to turn my head and look up. The breath froze in my lungs. A tall woman with blazing orange eyes and hair of flames stood within feet of me. She had mismatched legs: one of brass and the other covered in fur, ending in a hoof.
Well, she was a bucketful of nightmares.
‘Who are you? Where am I?’ I slowly inched back on my ass, the body-wracking pain making me wince.
‘I’m Empousa.’ She gave me a wild grin, showing her long canines, and I groaned.
For fuck’s sake, why did they all have fangs?
I attempted to summon my magic, but nothing happened.
I was weak and vulnerable, and the venom of panic gave me a sharp bite.
Shit. I didn’t want to die in a dank, dark cave at the hands of a freaky-looking demon.
‘Wait. You don’t want to kill me.’ I raised a hand. ‘Hades will not be happy. I’m his wife.’ I puckered my brow as I said the word ‘wife’. I quite liked it, but now was not the time to psychoanalyse my stupid brain.
She laughed, and the sound made my skin crawl.
‘I know who you are. She told me.’ Terror was a bitter taste in the back of my mouth.
Then she flew at me, grasping my hair and lifting me off the ground.
Searing pain scorched through my scalp, which was nothing compared to the agony of her teeth clamping down on my neck.
A knot built in the back of my throat that tasted of undiluted rage, and I could feel that slumbering giant in my chest pounding to break free. I was angry. So very angry.
I’d been brought here from my life in London; told I was a goddess once wed to the absurdly beautiful Mr Grumpy and Deadly.
Other gods were vying for my hand in marriage.
Now I had a freaking donkey-legged demon sucking at my neck, and the pain—it hurt.
Gods. It hurt. It was the sort of pain that burned as if some invisible flame were branding me—a million tactile nerves felt as if they’d combusted and been replaced with howling torment.
I bared my clenched teeth as the thrum of energy in my sternum returned like a maelstrom… and I exploded.
Black scrolling shadows erupted from my hands, writhing like living smoke, coiling thick and merciless around the Empousa.
Head to foot, she was bound in my fury, her shrieks splitting the air as she thrashed.
Rage wasn’t just inside me—it was me, a living, ravenous thing, and I was powerless to stop it.
The Empousa convulsed, her eyes wide with terror, and then her body began to wither. In the span of a heartbeat, she crumbled inward, her form collapsing like ash in a storm. A brittle snap, a hiss of air—then nothing. Just dust.
The silence after was deafening. My stomach lurched, bile burning my throat as I gagged, panting hard. My knees gave way, and I crashed to the floor, trembling as the pile of her remains mocked me from the shadows.