Captured (Shadow Guild Hades & Persephone #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,45

same way?

Yes.

Seraphia

I climbed from the chamber beneath Hades’ fortress. Where the hell had Hades run off to?

When I reached the top, I nearly ran into Lucifer. The devil grinned at me. “Doing a little slumming beneath the castle?”

“Hardly.” His black eye had partially healed. “Do you know how it’s going on Earth? What’s the situation with the ice?”

He grimaced. “There’s about seventy-five percent coverage now. Covens are starting to freeze as they fight Chronos’ will.”

“Damn it.” Fear shivered through me. Would Hades and I be able to do this?

We had to.

“Have you seen Hades?” I asked.

“No. How about a game of chess?”

“During the apocalypse? I don’t think so.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

I watched him amble off, then shouted at his retreating back, “You could help like the rest of us, you know. We’re trying to save the world.”

He turned back, eyes shadowed. “Ah, I could. But when I try to help, things tend to go awry.”

“They can’t go much more awry than they are now.”

He chuckled and shook his head, then shoved his hands in his pockets and continued down the hallway.

Frustrated, I turned and headed toward Hades’ chamber. Echo had been sleeping there when we’d left. Maybe the little bat would be able to fly around and find Hades quicker than I could.

But when I reached Hades’ quarters, they were empty.

Damn it.

I strode to the window and looked out over the sea. Phaethon had told me where to find the crown. We needed to leave as soon as possible, so where the hell was Hades?

As if he’d heard me thinking about him, he walked into the room. I felt him before I heard him, his magic a caress against my skin.

I turned to see him standing in the doorway, his cloak swept back from his shoulders, and his eyes shadowed as he stared at me.

“Hades. Where have you been?”

He strode to me, his gaze burning. When he reached me, he stopped only a few inches away, towering over me. His big hands came up to grip my arms gently, and he stared at me as if he were trying to memorize my face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, suddenly breathless. “You’re acting odd.”

“Everything is going to be fine.” His voice was rough as he spoke. “We’ll see to it.”

“Of course. Shouldn’t we get started?”

“Yes. But first, I wanted to say something.”

“Yeah?”

He drew in a deep breath, the hard layers that usually shrouded him seeming to fall away. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness for all that I’ve done to you. Or your trust. But I—I need it.”

I reached up to cup his cheek, having no idea what to say.

Did I forgive him for tearing me away from my world? Did I trust him?

I cared for him, certainly. But in the way that one would care for a beautiful wild animal. He could hurt me at any moment, and I still didn’t know if he’d given up his terrible goal of taking the crown.

“I—I don’t know,” I said.

Devastation flashed in his eyes, and panic flared in my chest.

Something was happening here, something I didn’t understand. This was so out of character for him.

I had no idea what to say, so I acted on instinct. I leaned up and kissed him, pressing my lips to his. Warmth and connection exploded within me as I felt his lips beneath mine.

When I pulled back slightly, I saw something like gratitude in his eyes. He leaned down and kissed me again, wrapping me in his arms as though he never wanted to let me go. His touch surrounded me, binding me to him as he kissed me, like it was the last caress we’d ever share.

My heart pounded, and my blood heated. I clung to him, panic racing through me. Could this really be our last kiss?

He gave a low groan and pulled away, the deep blue of his eyes seeming to devour me. He pressed his fingertips to my temple and whispered, “Sleep.”

It was the last thing I knew before darkness took me.

16

Hades

Seraphia collapsed in my arms, her lips still reddened from our kiss. I prayed the potion would work as I swept her up and carried her to the couch, lying her down upon it. I lingered just briefly as I withdrew my hands.

She looked so peaceful.

The spell wouldn’t last, though, and I needed to hurry.

“Goodbye,” I murmured, then turned and hurried from the room. I couldn’t bear to linger, nor could I afford to.

The hallway passed in a blur as I raced through