relate.
“Hurry.” I gave her a gentle push toward the gate at the far side of town. “You’ll make it if you hurry.”
She nodded and turned to flee. I might have just lied to her, but there was no point in taking away hope.
Finally, we reached the library. The ice was still several yards from the door, but it might as well have been in my veins, for how cold I felt. I was afraid, more afraid than I’d ever been in my life.
Eve stopped by my side briefly. “If you manage to find him, meet us in front of the Black Church. We’re joining forces with the Sorcerers’ and Witches’ Guilds, along with the Fae. Together, we’re going to try to melt the ice Chronos is spreading, and Hades might be able to help.”
I nodded, praying that it wouldn’t take long to find Hades. I’d vowed never to see him again, but that had been before the apocalypse began. Before I’d started fading away to Tartarus.
Hell, I almost wished I’d created the apocalypse I’d seen in my vision. That hadn’t been nearly as bad as this.
No.
That was crazy talk. I hugged Eve tightly. “Be careful.”
“You, too.” She gripped my arms and stared hard into my eyes. “And don’t forget to ask him why you’re fading. It’s his fault, I know it is.”
I nodded, fear prickling my skin.
She gave me one last look, then sprinted down the street, pushing her way through the crowd of people like a salmon swimming upriver. It only took a few seconds before she gave up and called upon her wings. Shooting into the air, she flew over the crowd. Her pink hair gleamed against the black leather of her jacket, and she looked like a badass pixie as she shot over the hordes of people.
I turned to the door and shoved it open, racing toward the back. The welcoming scent of leather, paper, and wood filled my nose, calming some of my fear. Here, I understood things. Here, I was in control.
It might be an illusion, but I welcomed the comfort.
Fortunately, the ice hadn’t arrived in the library yet. Magical candles flared to life, illuminating the dark wooden stacks filled with leather-bound volumes. I just had to get through the portal and into the underworld, then I could find Hades and—
I pulled to a stop, shock flashing through me.
Hades stepped through the portal on the other side of the library, his gaze meeting mine.
4
Seraphia
I stared at Hades, hardly able to believe my eyes. He stood in front of the stacks, smoke curling around his feet. As usual, he was dressed in his black armor, a cloak sweeping back from his broad shoulders.
With his massive stature and fallen angel features, he was so impossibly beautiful that it almost hurt to look at him. He looked exhausted, though, and worried. The sharp angle of his cheekbones and his blue eyes were starker than usual.
Memories crashed into me. Of Hades saving me from Tartarus. Of him blessing the pomegranate potion so that I could be free of the underworld. When he hadn’t known if he would live, he’d taken the time to make sure that I would be free.
And yet, when given the choice between the darkness and the light, he’d chosen darkness. Selfishness and power and evil. He still planned a terrible fate for the world. He wouldn’t give up on his quest. And I couldn't forgive that.
Still, it hurt.
I’d lost him—lost what might have been. And it hurt so badly that my throat tightened and my eyes pricked with tears. I forced them back, determined to focus on the problem at hand.
Chronos.
Eve had told me to ask him about the fading curse, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to distract him from the bigger problem.
“What are you doing here?” My voice sounded steady, and I was grateful.
“You are mine. I’ve come for you.” The words, delivered in that deep, smooth voice, sent a shiver through me.
“I am my own.” I crossed my arms over my chest, stiffening my spine. I still stood about twenty feet from him, and I wanted to maintain my distance. Even so, his firelight scent wrapped around me, nearly making my head spin. “Now tell me why you are here. Last time I saw you, you were demanding that I join you in spreading darkness to the Earth.”
At the memory, warm anger flowed through me.
“I want you to be my queen.”
Another stab of pain for what might have been. “Not as long