body had fully faded away, I had no idea. But it was as reliable as the setting of the sun.
Memories of that pain filled my mind—endless years of torment in the flames and freezing wind of the worst part of hell. Feeling like my body was liquefied by fire and reformed by ice. It was nothing compared to the punishments I dispensed to the murderers and rapists here in the underworld.
I pulled off the gloves that covered my hands, revealing them to be as I’d expected—partially transparent.
“Damn it.” I drew in a steadying breath as I clenched my fists, drawing strength from the dark magic that wafted up from the pit. It flowed over me, filling my soul, re-solidifying my form. For a while, at least.
Time was running out.
This place was both my savior and my despair. It had formed me, death incarnate, with one purpose: to spread the darkness. I’d been trying for millennia, but without Seraphia, it had been impossible.
Now that I had her, I would succeed, defying my fate and breaking the cycle that dragged me back to Tartarus to be tortured.
I drew in a deep breath, letting the magic of this place soothe the riot in my soul. It forced away the light with which Seraphia had infected me, calming the torment within me. Emotion seeped away, replaced with the calm, cold detachment that kept me sane.
I stared down into the abyss. “She is back.”
Good. The voice rumbled through the room, filling the air until it was nearly suffocating. You will need her to help you find the location and time of doomsday.
Seraphia
The door slammed in my face, concealing Hades and leaving me alone in the dungeon.
That bastard.
I stared at the solid wooden door, anger surging through me. It tugged at the darkness in my soul that had ignited when I’d arrived here. The anger and rage were so hard to ignore—unnaturally so.
I strode to the door and pulled on it. As expected, it didn’t budge. I wanted to kick the damned thing, but that would get me nowhere.
You’re a menace to yourself and others. His words echoed in my head.
He was right.
I had more than just the pomegranate problem. I was a problem. What had happened with Lucifer…
I liked the guy. I’d never want to hurt him like that. And yet, I had. Worse, I’d enjoyed it.
The power had coursed through me on a tidal wave of pleasure, pushing me farther and farther. Being back here made it harder to resist. Being around Hades made it harder to resist. When he’d touched me, I’d felt that darkness flare.
I drew in a shuddery breath and shook my head. “Nope. Not going there.”
I called upon the ether, trying to remove one of the bags that Eve had given me. It’d be chock full of helpful potions, including something to break through this lock.
But nothing happened. The ether didn’t respond.
Damn it. Something was wrong.
This time, I really did kick the door, yelping when pain flared.
Aching, knowing I’d been an idiot, I tried to reach into the ether one more time. The spell should be working. It should spit that bag right back out at me.
Yet it didn’t.
Either this prison blocked the magic or the underworld itself did.
Fat lot of good all that preparing had done me.
What about the key?
Frantic, I thrust my hand into the pocket of my jeans, finding the key to the library safe within. I sagged, grateful. If that had disappeared somehow, I’d be screwed. I needed it to get back through the library to return home. Unless he’d changed the locks…
Fear iced my spine, but I pushed it away and turned to face the rest of the small dungeon, searching for anything to help me break out. There was nothing but a cot and a bucket.
A bucket?
Holy fates, I was going to kill Hades for this.
My gaze caught on the tiny window set high in the wall. The sky blazed orange as it transitioned to night. The window was far too small for me to squeeze through, and the iron bars looked sturdy and strong. But there was no glass, and a faint breeze wafted through, smelling of the sea.
I grinned.
I’d never been more grateful for ventilation.
“Echo,” I whispered. “Where are you?”
I waited, breath held and gaze glued to the window. Finally, the tiny bat fluttered into the room, slipping between the bars. He hovered in front of me, little eyes black and bright.