feel the burn of his gaze at my back. I turned around, meeting his eyes.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he said. “And tomorrow, you’ll fulfill your end of the bargain.”
I swallowed hard, still having no idea how I was going to get out of that. Another problem for another time. Right now, I needed to get the hell away from him.
I hurried through the gate, passing the night wolves who lounged nearby, watching me. I ignored them. I just needed air.
Unfortunately, the underworld lacked the kind of fresh air that I wanted. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t find something to make myself feel better.
I raced toward the castle, knowing what I was seeking.
A library.
I just wanted to be surrounded by the calming comfort of books.
Fifteen minutes later, I’d found the perfect space. There were dozens of libraries all over the castle, and this one was situated at the back, near the ocean. The room took up the entirety of a square tower. It was only about thirty feet across, but the ceiling soared a hundred feet overhead. Bookshelves climbed all the way up the walls, surrounded by narrow wooden galleries accessed by even narrower stairs. On one wall, large square windows were stacked on top of each other, rising all the way to the ceiling. They were closed, but if I opened them, I knew I would hear the sea.
Echo followed me in, and I collapsed in one of the chairs, panting. There were a half dozen of them in the space, each sitting on top of the plush, beautiful rug. A fire flickered warmly in the hearth, and I stared into it.
I didn’t even know what was in this library, but the subjects of the books didn’t matter. With my eyes closed, I sucked in a soothing breath and let my head rest against the back of the chair.
If I pretended hard enough, I was home, in my own library. My magic was normal and fairly mundane—a bit of plant magic that I could use for healing.
It was only mundane because you avoided it.
The obnoxious voice sounded in my head, and I wanted to punch whoever said it. Unfortunately, I had said it. I’d had a hard enough day already. I wasn’t about to punch myself in the face.
A tapping noise sounded at the window. I jerked and looked over to find a black bird fluttered at the window, trying to get me to open it.
“Beatrix!” I surged upright and raced to the window, flinging it wide. “You’re here!”
She flew inside, her dark feathers gleaming in the candlelight. A moment later, she appeared in human form, her dark hair wild around her head. As usual, she wore brilliantly colored leggings and a long-sleeved top. She always looked like she was about to go for a run, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s what she was going to do.
Except it wouldn’t be a jog. It’d be a run from something. She looked like she was constantly ready to flee.
I didn't know much about her past, but she’d appeared in Guild City after being murdered, so it had to be dark.
She flung her arms around me and hugged me tight. I hugged her in turn, grateful to have her here once more.
She pulled back and looked at me. “So, you got Hades to remove my ban? I felt it when it disappeared.”
I nodded, reluctantly grateful to him that he’d kept his word. Even so, I left the window open in case she wanted to make a quick getaway. “I’m so glad you could come.”
She grinned. “Of course. Can’t leave one of my friends stuck in the underworld without a buddy.”
I laughed, then flopped into the nearest chair. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you.” I shook my head. “I was just in Guild City with Eve, but as soon as I returned here, it felt like a century since I’d seen a friend.”
“It’s the air.” She shuddered and slumped into a nearby chair. “Something weird about this place.”
“You’re telling me.”
“How are you doing?”
I heaved a sigh, my mind racing, then decided to just tell her everything. Once I started, I couldn’t shut up. It was an endless stream of babble, but Beatrix kept up, her gaze keen on me as I spoke.
Finally, I trailed off. “So it seems I’m definitely Persephone. I’m finally accepting it.”
“But what does that mean?” she asked. “She’s a goddess in all the myths, but you’re only twenty-five. How does that