grass and a few trees to bring back my friends was a worthy trade. We lit fires all the time to keep from freezing to death, so how was this any different?
But it was exactly like my vision.
I shuddered, trying to drive away the thought. Yes, on the surface, it was. But in my vision, I hadn’t had my friends at my feet. I’d done it because I’d wanted to.
Except I didn’t want to. And that would keep me from going too far.
All the same, we needed to be safe.
I looked up at Carrow. “I’m going to try something. But you need to be ready to get the hell out of here when they are well again. I don’t know what’s going to happen, and you could all be vulnerable.” And I’d need to know exactly when I could stop taking the life from the earth. Too much, and I would lose myself. As soon as I knew they were well and safely away from here, I could stop.
Carrow nodded, gripping my arm. “You’ve got this.”
Quinn caught my gaze. “We believe in you.”
I nodded, grateful. I just wished I believed in me, too.
Instead, I was scared out of my wits.
Hades just watched me, still and silent. His form flickered briefly, going entirely transparent, and that same fear pierced me. He didn’t have long, and I had no idea how to save him.
I tore my gaze away from him and rose. My legs shook as I walked away from my friends. If the darkness started to rise in me, I didn’t want to be too close to them.
Heart pounding, I sank to my knees in the grass. My fingertips tingled as I reached for it, sinking them into the rough, prickly stuff. Cyprus had different grass than the soft, wet vegetation of England, and it felt like my childhood.
I could feel the life force beating through the slender stalks, pulsing from the tree trunks nearby.
Give.
I reached for the magic inside me, using it to call upon the life force in the earth. It came easily, my practice paying off. Too easily. I could feel Hades’ gaze on me, and I both loved and loathed it.
As I watched, the grass began to wilt. Just like in my vision.
I’m doing this.
I shuddered and shoved the thought away, focusing on directing the life force into my friends. Every second that passed was agony as I waited to see if it would work. Worse, I could feel the darkness rising in me as I tried to manipulate the fabric of life to suit my own needs.
The power of it sang through my veins. As it began to work, I felt it. There was a feeling of being connected to everything—the grass, the trees, the animals, and the other people on the plain. The life between us was like energy, and I moved it around according to my will.
The tattoo on my arm glowed so brightly that it nearly blinded me. The power was staggering, making my head spin and my limbs tremble.
This was what it felt like to be a god?
Soon, I couldn’t stop. I could feel my friends growing healthier, but I thought about them less and less. I just didn’t care as much. All I could think of was the life that I sucked from the earth. Somehow, the darkness within me had bubbled up to the surface, taking control of my actions.
Yes.
“It’s working!” Carrow whispered. “Keep going!”
I could feel it, and excitement rose inside me. My friends were growing stronger.
I took more from the earth, withering the grass, and then the trees. Every second that passed made me feel more powerful, more invincible. It was almost like being drunk.
Out of the corner of my vision, I caught sight of Carrow, Quinn, and the Devil helping our friends to their feet. They looked wobbly and pale, but fine enough.
“Seraphia?” Mac’s voice filtered through the night.
“What happened?” Eve mumbled.
“I feel a bit odd,” said Beatrix.
“It’s done!” Carrow shouted. “You can stop, Seraphia.”
“Get them out of here,” I gasped.
Carrow nodded, and almost immediately, the six of them disappeared.
It was just me and Hades, and my gaze was drawn to him. His form disappeared briefly, and that same fear fought its way through the strange greed that ate at me.
Not Hades.
I didn’t want to lose him, even if I didn’t really have him.
The life in the earth.
If it had saved my friends, maybe it would save him, too. Going to Tartarus was like death. Perhaps I