“I am speaking in regard toherlife. Her soul. The moment you go after her, Hades will wield her like a weapon.”
“He is already doing so by keeping her from me.”
“Yes, but if Cerberus can find out why and where she is being kept, we may stand a chance of rescuing her without bloodshed.”
I narrow my eyes at him, weighing my options. It is true that I cannot simply storm into the palace without a plan, but I did have a plan, albeit a bloodthirsty one … as Eros seems to have surmised.
“Fine,” I say through gritted teeth, “but you have one night before I slaughter the entirety of this kingdom to get to her, and if I so much as hear that she has been harmed …nothingwill stop me from exacting my revenge upon this realm and your master.”
"One night is all I need," he says after a moment of tense silence. Then, without another word, he bounds off toward Hades’ palace.
I watch him disappear around a corner before turning back to Eros.
“I suppose this is the part where I invite you back to my place,” he says with a cocky grin that elicits an annoyed growl from me.
I wave him on, hoping that we can come up with a plan to rescue Hazel before I am forced to make good on my threat.
A threat that, with Hades’ deal with the Fates still intact, would most likely bring ruin to us all.
15
Hazel
Unsurprisingly, I’m yet again left completely alone in my room for the rest of the day.
No one comes to bring food or water or to escort me to the dining room. I don’t even hear so much as a footstep in the halls outside the locked door.
It’s only when it starts to feel as though I’ve been forgotten, lost to the nothingness of the palace that I suddenly remember the package. Racing into the bathroom, I’m relieved to find the bundle of fabric where I left it.
Dropping to my knees, I quickly pull the bundle from within. As I peel back the brown parchment, the small book Cyprian gave me falls into my lap. I hardly dare to believe it’s really here as I stare down at it for a long moment.
Carefully, I pick it up and flip it open, only to see that the page with the small illustration has been torn out. Sighing, my shoulders sag as I trace the jagged edge of the paper with one finger.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. This heartache, this overwhelming pain that accompanies the sight of the torn page. As I stare at it, Lilia’s words from the night before come to mind.
Frowning, I can’t help but wonder if I made a terrible mistake with Death over such a small thing. Perhaps I was too quick to judge his intentions… but then I shake the thought from my mind.
As much as I want to believe that, I saw my fatherherein the Underworld with my very own eyes. The book is one thing, but my father’s life?
No.
If Death cannot prove he kept our deal, then it does not matter how much I love him. I cannot be with someone like that.
Grabbing the parchment paper, I rise and return to the bedroom. Re-wrapping the book, I tuck it under the mattress, unwilling to be caught with it out and have it taken away. I still need ink to write a note, but at least I’m one step closer.
Lying down, I stare up at the dark ceiling as I allow myself to get lost in thought.
Despite my best efforts, my mind keeps returning to Death. My heart aches as I try but fail to keep myself from imagining a future with him. As much as I want to save my father, my own life means nothing without Death.
Perhaps, in some ways, this is easier. I care little for my mortal life now, not when all that I love is no more.
Sitting up, I chide myself.
Life with Death was never a possibility. It has only ever been a dream. Even if we succeeded here, and I was returned to my body, I ammortal. We wouldn’t grow old, let alone share a life together.
Even if we could somehow share my life, it would be him watching me age, and eventually die. My body no longer capable of housing my soul.
In the end, it would always be death.
