Two of the vines were longer, and they plucked a book from the shelf. As the vines grew stronger, so did her magic.
The darkness within her grew.
I could feel it, the tiniest bit. A spark, nothing more. The light was an inferno, and it would take a lot of work for the spark to overtake the blaze.
But it could.
She flinched, as if she felt it, too.
“Well done,” I said, wanting to distract her. “Keep going. Don’t quit now.”
She drew a ragged breath. Could she feel it inside her? Did she like it the way I did? Did it calm the turmoil that never let her rest?
Seraphia coaxed the vines toward us. The pliant tendrils responded, setting the book on the table and opening a page. As she worked, her magic grew within her. The light overtook the dark, drowning out the spark. It filled the room with the scent of flowers and spring surging on the air. A faint, lovely breeze wrapped around me, caressing.
I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting nothing more than to pull her into my arms and kiss her.
I shouldn’t want her when the light surged within her, but I couldn’t help it.
The need had been growing by the minute since I met her, and with every second that passed, felt like it would eventually grow too strong to resist. Last night had only made it worse.
Focus.
The darkness surged within me, that impossible force. Almost as if it sensed me wavering.
She flinched and pulled away, turning back to me with wide eyes. “Don’t do that.”
I swallowed hard and nodded.
She’d felt the darkness as strongly as I had. The only difference was that she didn’t like it.
I looked down at her arm, searching for the glowing tattoo. She’d covered it with her cloak, however. “Show me your arm.”
She scowled.
“It’s part of the bargain.”
“No, it’s not.”
“I need to know you’re actually practicing.”
She pointed to the plant. “You saw it move, didn’t you?”
“Yes. But you need to be learning new things, and I have no way of knowing if you are.”
“Fine.” She heaved a disgusted sigh and yanked up the sleeve of her shirt, showing me the tattoo that glowed golden and green. The vines twisted up her slender arm, vibrating with magic.
“Good.” I nodded and stepped back. Her scent was distracting and made it harder to focus.
“I’m growing tired.” Her eyes flickered with worry, but not exhaustion.
“No, you aren’t. You’re too powerful to grow tired so soon.”
She looked at the clock on the wall. “Well, my hour is almost up.”
She was right. And we’d never finished the second game because I’d been too distracted to realize she was poisoning me.
I needed more leverage. Needed another way to force her to use her magic.
“I’ll come back tomorrow if you let me go today,” she said.
Surprise flickered through me. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I want a break right now.” Her voice turned serious. Maybe she was lying, but she was right—her hour was up. I could find a way to bring her back here tomorrow. Now that she’d started with her magic, she would want more.
“Fine, you may go.” The darkness fought the words as they escaped. It wanted her as much as I did. Yet there was underworld business I needed to attend to, trials to oversee, and souls to damn. This realm would fall apart if I let my obsession with Seraphia get the better of me. I would fall apart. “Come tomorrow, and we will practice again.”
Her brow smoothed, relief relaxing her shoulders. “Thank you.”
Before I could say anything, she turned and ran from the room. I watched her go, unable to look away.
19
Seraphia
My heart thundered as I raced toward my quarters.
I needed a moment alone. A moment to get my shit together.
Because my head was going wild. My body was going wild.
The way our magic had combined inside me. It had been so strange, so intimate.
I’d felt right into his soul, and he was so torn. So tortured over the darkness and the light, the goal he’d been created to fulfill and his natural conscience.
Because he had one.
It was buried deep, almost like the darkness had poisoned him, but he had one.
Who was Hades, really?
He wasn’t the man I’d thought he was. He wasn’t the man that anyone thought he was.
And yet, it wasn’t so simple as he’s secretly good, and I can cure him with my love.