to it and opened it, finding Kerala on the other side. Hades must have sent her. The pretty maid smiled and held out a change of clothes. All black, as usual for this dreary place.
“Thank you, Kerala.” I took them. “Do you know where Hades is?”
“Couldn’t say, no.”
“Thanks.”
She curtsied and left. I turned back to the room and spotted breakfast on the table. I set the clothes down on a chair and picked up a pastry. As I bit in, I couldn’t help the anxiety that streaked through me. Though I knew rationally that eating shouldn’t make any difference since I’d already had the pomegranate potion, I’d spent so long being afraid of it.
Tasted good, though. Not phenomenal, but I doubted anything tasted phenomenal here.
Except Hades.
The traitorous thought made me want to hiss.
Instead, I went to the bathroom, desperately wanting a bath. The chamber was large, and the bathing pool drew my eye. It was set directly into the dark stone ground, massive and full of steaming water. A huge window overlooked the sea, but I had eyes only for the swimming pool–sized tub.
Quickly, I shoved the rest of the pastry into my mouth, then shucked my clothes and climbed into the water. It closed around me, warm and lovely, and I sighed. Besides the apothecary’s cottage, it was the only nice place I’d been in all of this miserable underworld. Except the forest. That had been all right once I’d fixed it.
I didn’t have time to linger, but I wanted to.
I’ll come back.
There. That was a compromise.
I forced myself to bathe efficiently, limiting myself to only two laps of the gorgeous pool.
Clean, I rose up, shivering as the chill air replaced the warmth. As quickly as I could, I dried myself off and changed into clean clothes. The room echoed hollowly as I moved, feeling distinctly empty without Hades’ commanding presence.
Echo fluttered through the window and sat on top of the fruit basket, watching me with keen eyes. Though the room didn’t feel quite as empty now, he was no substitute for Hades.
Fully dressed, I looked at Echo, my mind spinning. “Well, what now?”
He said nothing. In the forest, I thought he’d called my name. Maybe he didn’t talk.
That didn’t mean I couldn’t talk to him.
“Hades has gone somewhere unknown,” I said. “So I think this is my best shot at getting a pomegranate to Eve in Guild City.”
Echo nodded, but skepticism glinted in his eyes.
“You’re worried about Hades going back on the bargain, aren’t you?” He’d said I could go back, but… “I agree. He’s not trustworthy. Can you get me the pomegranate seeds I gave you, then sneak me through the city? Take the back roads to the library?”
Echo nodded, then launched himself off the fruit bowl and swooped out of the room. As I waited for him to return with the seeds, I paced Hades’ room, inspecting the bookshelves. The topics ranged from strategy to war to history. Not a single novel in sight.
He didn’t enjoy anything, did he?
Didn’t know how.
I shook the thought away. I shouldn’t care.
Echo returned and dropped the small pouch in my hand. I closed my fist around the juice-stained fabric. “Thanks.”
He fluttered around and left the room, squeaking to call me along.
I followed him through the castle, careful to stick to the shadows. I wasn’t going to let anyone stop me, but I’d rather not deal with the confrontation.
We were lucky. Or maybe it was Echo. I got the impression he had a second sense for avoiding people, and we made it into the back garden without incident.
The sight of the place shocked me anew, the vines growing wild and free. And dark. The magic that radiated from them was distinctly evil.
And they’re part of me.
The horror of it made me want to vomit.
Instead, I tried to stiffen my spine. I was fighting the darkness—that drive toward power and greed and selfishness. There was just something about power that made one want to use it for thier own gain.
Not me. I’d keep fighting it until my dying breath.
And I’d be victorious.
“You look like you’re giving a graduation speech,” a droll voice sounded from behind me. “So purposeful and determined.”
I gasped, turning to find Lucifer leaning against the castle wall. The golden fallen angel was dressed all in black, his clothes looking like they’d cost a thousand quid, but the shadows under his eyes made him look like hell.
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
He raised a brow. “Knitting?”
I scowled. “At least make