was happening? I’d lived such a steady, purposeful life. I’d been content. Driven.
Confident in my goals.
I was still confident in my goals. In my purpose. I served the darkness, and it served me. It kept me walking upon this realm instead of deep in the depths of Tartarus.
But my usual confidence failed when it came to her and the role she played.
It was a role she needed to play willingly, as it turned out. And I had no idea how to make that happen.
No idea how to drive her from my mind or my body.
My soul clenched with disgust as I turned from the mirror and sought fresh clothing. I pulled on the black trousers and shirt, followed by the leather armor and boots that I wore while in the confines of my castle. Finally, I pulled on my gloves, covering hands that were beginning to turn transparent again. The slide of thin leather was satisfying, binding me tight. Binding my soul like I bound my wings.
I never used them.
It had been lifetimes. They tore at me, the sense of light and goodness that they brought with them. They allowed conflict to rise within me—nay, encouraged it.
And I couldn’t bear it.
I shoved the memory away and strode to the depths of my castle, once again passing no one as I made my way deep into the depths of the stone fortress.
It was quiet and calm there, the darkness a balm for my soul. The pit called, swirling and deep, and I stopped at the edge of it, looking into the abyss. Stars swirled and sparkled, and I wondered for the millionth time if it truly was the vastness of space beyond.
The dark mist wafted up from the depths, and I drew it into my lungs, feeling my soul settle. Feeling it repair my psyche and calm my thoughts. It pushed out the light and allowed me to rest. Repaired my fading form.
Yet she was still there, the memory of our kiss a spark that would not fade.
“Help me resist her.” The words were torn from me. I clenched a fist. “Help me not to be seduced.”
She is your weakness, the darkness murmured, the words vibrating up from the abyss. If you are not careful, she will be the end of you.
But oh, what a glorious end, to burn up in her embrace.
I clenched my jaw, driving the thought back. “We have returned from the Temple of Shadows. She is indeed the one who will help spread the underworld to the Earth.” I explained everything that I’d seen in the vision, omitting no detail. “But how do I make her play the role she is meant to?”
This is unexpected. There was silence from the abyss, an endless moment of it. Continue on your path. Train her in her magic, make her embrace it. There is darkness within her, and her magic is the key to unlocking it. She can be seduced to the dark as easily as you can be seduced to the light.
Seduced to the light. Shame flooded me. My greatest weakness seemed visible to all.
She is marked by a tattoo that will glow with power when she uses her magic. Find that and see that she glows.
“On her wrist. I have seen it.”
Then you know what to do. She must come willingly to our side.
“She never will.”
This was never meant to be easy. You can lay waste to cities and armies with the flick of your hand. But turning your opposition to the dark will be the greatest challenge of your long life.
I drew in a shuddery breath. I was a god of death and destruction, infinite power. And yet my goal was to make a stubborn woman go against her every instinct.
I dragged a hand through my hair. “When she is trained, what then?”
You will find the location you saw in the vision. Only there can she spread the will of fate.
I nodded. “All right. We’ll begin with training, and then with seeking.”
Good. And remember, Hades. You must resist her. For you are as changeable as she is, and that is your greatest weakness.
Seraphia
Morning came too soon, the faint gray-orange light dragging me from slumber. I’d dreamed of Hades. Of battles and kisses under the moonlight. Of his tortured eyes and the hunger on his face.
Still groggy, I climbed out of bed and found a protein bar that Beatrix had left. Fates, how I was ready to be done with eating these miserable things.