Captured (Shadow Guild Hades & Persephone #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,33

it at first when she’d put them here, but I’d grown used to it. I liked seeing evidence of her.

Now she was destroying it?

But no. The vines were just growing in a more orderly fashion. And small trees popped up in the barren spaces along the roads. Tiny beds of flowers appeared. They weren't bright like the ones back on Earth, but they were lovely enough.

And then there were the changes I couldn’t see. I could feel them, though. The forests outside the city were reviving, life flowing back through the trees and bushes. Fields grew as well, grasses and crops.

“Why are you changing my realm?” I asked.

“It must happen. It’s how I am supposed to fully embrace my power.”

“By changing my realm?”

“It’s our realm, isn’t it?”

Shock lanced me, followed by joy.

She looked up, meeting my gaze. “That doesn’t mean I’m on your side in this horrible plan of yours. But the Underworld is important to me, too.”

She turned back to her work, and I felt the change roll through my realm. People came out of their houses and looked around, wide-eyed.

Even the sky began to lighten. The sun didn’t go so far as to come out, but it looked brighter and more welcoming. The trees were a deep shade of green, and the small flowers were various shades of white and cream against their softer green leaves.

As my realm grew brighter, so did she. Her skin glowed, and her power seemed to rest more easily inside her. She was fully coming into her magic. It was intoxicating to watch.

It even made me feel different. Lighter, almost.

“See,” she said. “Change is okay. It doesn’t have to be all butterflies and rainbows. It’s still the Underworld. But it’s not quite so miserable now.”

She was right. It wasn’t quite so miserable. But then, anywhere with her was pleasant.

“Nothing stops you, does it?” I asked.

“I don’t know about that. But this had to happen.” She stood and looked at me, and I stepped toward her, unable to help myself.

With Seraphia, nothing was as it seemed. Possibilities seemed endless. Because of her.

Perhaps everything wasn’t the way I thought it was. I’d never considered that the Underworld should change. That it even could. And yet, she’d made it happen.

Doubt tugged at me. Were other things not as they seemed? Were my goals…off?

No. They couldn’t be.

The light inside me seemed to pulse, and I rubbed my chest. What if I let it take over? What if I joined her?

But it was impossible.

Lachesis had been clear. To save Seraphia from the curse of Tartarus, I had to take the Crown of Destiny.

“Hades?” Concern shadowed Seraphia’s voice. “Are you all right?”

“Of course.”

“Whoa.” A feminine voice sounded from the top of the library stairs, catching my attention.

I turned. Her allies, Eve, Beatrix, and Mac, stood on the steps above us.

12

Seraphia

I turned around, spotting my three friends standing at the top of the library stairs. I grinned and called up, “Thank fates you’re here.”

The three of them descended the steps two at a time, moving quickly. Beatrix looked around, interest on her face, while the other two appeared to be uncomfortable. She’d been here before, but the others had not.

“Don’t worry,” I said to Mac and Eve. “You won’t be trapped here.”

“All the same, I certainly won’t be eating,” Eve said.

“Ditto.” Mac nodded. “This place doesn’t look so bad, though. Not nearly as hellish as I thought.”

“It didn’t always look like this.” Beatrix turned to me. “Did you do some decorating?”

“Something like that.”

She grinned, her dark hair tousled in wild curls around her face, as if she’d been climbing a mountain somewhere. Her black leggings were smeared with mud. Mac and Eve didn’t look much better. Eve’s leather jacket had a tear in the arm, and Mac’s flannel shirt was tied around her waist, her T-shirt rumpled.

“You guys haven’t gotten much rest, have you?” I asked.

“If you think we look bad, you should see the witches,” Mac said. “They look like they’ve been on a week-long bender. Carrow doesn’t look much better. She and Grey have been busy coordinating with supernaturals from other continents.”

“How is everyone doing with holding off Chronos?” I asked.

“They’re hanging in there,” Mac said. “But it’s proving tough. We won’t last long. A few more days, max.”

“Different continents are faring differently,” Beatrix said. “Africa has some insanely powerful witches, so they seem to be holding it off best. Helps that it’s not as crowded, too. It’s been harder in Europe. With the dense population, there are