Sadness wraps around me like a weighted blanket, impossibly heavy.
Whoever is behind this stole not only my future away but the guys’ futures too.
“We need to speak to Ares,” Krystian is saying behind me, his tone uncharacteristically harsh.
“You don’t think he’s behind this, do you?” Zaid asks.
“If he knew about Thea, why wouldn’t he tell us about her?” Everett demands.
“Maybe he got his memories erased too?” Zaid suggests, though he doesn’t sound certain.
“He wasn’t put to sleep like the rest of us,” Krystian points out.
“Unless we lost our memories of Thea before we were put to sleep…” Rafe suggests, his tone low and dangerous.
“Here we are!” Persephone trills, either oblivious to our conversation or choosing to ignore it. She stops between two doors. “I figured you guys would want to remain close together. There’s a door inside that connects the two rooms as well.”
She claps her hands together and rocks back on her heels. I wait for her to say more or retreat, but she simply stands there, watching us with wide, guileless eyes.
The lights are on, but there’s no one home.
Definitely insane.
“Thank you, Persephone,” I tell her gently.
How do I tell a goddess—Hades’s wife, to be exact—to fuck off? Kindly, of course. Tokindlyfuck off.
“Do you need anything?” She keeps her gaze trained on me. “Pillows? More blankets? Towels?”
“We’re good,” Everett grunts, shoving around her to enter the door on her right.
The others follow, though Zaid lingers behind, unwilling to leave me alone with her. We don’t trust anyone at the moment.
“Oh.” Persephone’s face falls slightly. “It’s just… It’s just been so long since I’ve been around a living person, you know? But… But I’ll leave you to it. Please let me know if you need anything. The guards will come to collect you right away in the morning, so be prepared.” She stares at me again, her eyes strangely beseeching, but when I don’t say anything to that, she blows out a breath. “Well, I suppose I’ll see you later.”
She seems reluctant to leave, her feet dragging against the carpeted floor. A forlorn sigh escapes her as she disappears around the corner.
I watch her go with a strange pinch in my heart.
“What’s that look for?” Zaid asks softly, brushing his hand down my arm.
“I just feel bad for her,” I confess. “She seems so…lonely.” Then, in a quieter voice, I add, “I know what that feels like.”
Zaid’s expression creases in sympathy, and he wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me against him.
He presses his lips against my temple. “Not anymore, you don’t. You will never be lonely again, Thea. Not if I have anything to say about it.”
My heart warms at his proclamation, even as familiar tendrils of terror coil around my heart, squeezing it like barbed wire.
“But what if—” I start to ask, wanting to voice one of my deepest fears.
Zaid places a finger against my parted lips. “You. Will. Not. Be. Alone. Wherever you go, we will find you. Can you believe that? Can you believeme?”
I take in his beautiful face—pale skin, dark eyes, and midnight-colored hair—and find myself nodding.
Yes, I believe him.
How could I not, when he’s staring at me like he’ll pluck the stars from the sky if I asked him to?
