had done on Earth. It had been a much softer magic there. Here, it hit me like a blow to the chest.
I gasped, drawing the scent into my lungs.
Your magic has been bound.
The apothecary’s words once again whispered through my ears. Did I feel stronger because I was here?
Perhaps. Though I didn’t want to acknowledge it. This was a temporary prison, nothing more.
“You feel different,” Hades said.
“I don’t.”
“You lie.” His words whispered against my ear, and I shuddered. Heat streaked through me, impossible to ignore.
I’d seen what he was capable of, seen his terrible work at the town square. And yet, he could still heat me from within.
I was a horrible person.
“Embrace what you are, Persephone,” he murmured. “Don’t hide something so incredible.”
“Incredible?” Shock raked through me. “You don’t even like me.”
“I do not. But that is not necessary for me to see that your power is a thing of wonder.”
Your power. Not you.
Still, I shifted, uncomfortable with the praise.
He drew in a breath, sharp and harsh.
Damn it, I shouldn’t move like that.
Not after the library. Not when he’d probably never been touched like this. Hell, not with any man, experienced or not.
Especially not Hades, Lord of the Underworld.
I stiffened, holding myself perfectly still. I’d considered seducing him, but I wasn’t yet ready to commit to that path.
We left the forest behind, the horse moving at a steady, swift pace. In the distance, I caught sight of a mountain. It loomed out of the darkness, steep and terrifying.
“We’re going there,” he said.
“And we have to climb it?”
“The horse will.”
“Still, it will be cold.” I shivered.
“Very.”
“We can’t just transport? This seems really slow.”
“Great things are never obtained so easily,” he said. “Transporting is blocked. One must earn the Temple of Shadows.”
Well, shit.
Finally, the flat plains gave way to the base of the mountain. It soared upward, piercing the dark sky like a jagged piece of rock shoved through the earth’s crust by an angry god.
For all I knew, it had been. And that god was sitting right behind me.
The mountain soared overhead, steep and deadly. The stone itself was a deep, dark gray. About halfway up, snow and ice gleamed dully. The very top of the mountain was flat—the Temple of Shadows—but there appeared to be two more flat bits partway up, one higher than the other.
I shook my head. “I can’t believe we’re going up there.”
Hades stayed silent as he urged the horse forward. The great beast began to climb, expertly picking its way along the non-existent path. The air grew colder as we rose, and I pulled my cloak closer around me.
“What I wouldn’t give for a sporting goods store right now,” I muttered.
“What?”
“You know, sporting goods. Gore-Tex and goose down and fleece.” I gestured around. “There’s more to the world than shadows and mountains and darkness.”
“Not that I have seen.”
“You could though, couldn’t you?”
I could imagine him frowning behind me. Leave his beloved hellhole?
Hades would never.
As expected, he was silent. The horse plodded on, and we reached the snowy bits of the mountain as the land leveled out.
“This is the first of three plateaus,” he said.
“I don’t suppose it’s our final destination?”
“No. The top one.”
“Of course.” My stomach grumbled, and I shifted, annoyed.
“We will take a break.”
“I’m fine.” I wanted to get this over with. I’d scarf down a protein bar later.
“You are not. You must eat.”
“I’m not eating anything from you.”
“Hmm.” He swung down off the horse and gripped me around the waist, pulling me down after him. His hands burned into my sides, oddly cold and warm at the same time.
I pulled back, breaking contact, and met his dark gaze. “I’m going to go use the loo.”
He looked around with his brows raised.
Yeah, there weren’t a lot of great options. I pointed to a collection of large boulders that would provide some privacy. “I’m going there. I’ll be right back.”
He nodded sharply. “Two minutes.”
“Five.”
“Two.”
“Screw you.”
His lips twisted in a wry smile, but he ignored the jibe.
I headed toward the rocks, leaving Hades and his horse standing in the chilly darkness. As soon as I got behind the rocks, I yanked a protein bar out of my pocket and scarfed it down, quieting my growling stomach. If he couldn’t hear it, he couldn’t complain about it.
The protein bar tasted like dust though. And if I kept this kind of diet up, I was going to get scurvy.
Finished with my meager lunch, I made quick work of answering nature’s call. My arse nearly froze in the chill air,