Page 24 of Wicked Warlock
Logan dropped his power and the throne room cleared of his influence. Hades grunted and nodded. Silence filled the air, and I didn’t know what to say or do. There had to be a way we could all walk away from this alive. We were too young, too full of life, and had too much to do for it to end now. I had to stop this… or at least try to fix it.
“There has to be another way. She didn’t die for real. She died because of a mistake.”
“I know millions of people who’ve died because of a mistake. She died because of a soulmate bond. A bond that you all know cannot be broken. When one side perishes, so does the other. Those are the rules.” Hades locked eyes with Beckett. “As you well know.”
Serrina sighed. “At first, I thought it was the battle. But then I realized, I’d lost you.” She turned to Ashryn. “I can’t be without you.”
“Nor I without you.” Ashryn tried to grab her hands to take them into her own. But she couldn’t. They just went right through Serrina.
This was all too much info. “What? Hold up. A battle?”
Serrina nodded. “Oh, yeah. The warlocks attacked Evermore.”
“No! We need to get back now.”
Beckett nodded. “I couldn’t agree more. By any chance, do you know who won?”
Hades groaned and rose to his feet. “I grow weary of this. Be gone with all of you. Leave. This isn’t hotel underworld. You all earned your way out… She did not.”
I glanced from Ashryn to Serrina and back again. I could see the pain of loss heavy in their eyes. When I looked up to Beckett, he was studying me with those ocean baby blues, and I knew in that moment, I’d do anything for him. I turned to Hades. “There has to be another task? Something else you want so we can take her back with us.”
“No, there’s nothing. I’m bored now.” He rose to his feet and offered his hand to Persephone. “Come, love.”
“No, please.” I tried to stop him. But he was already beginning to walk down the stairs from his throne.
Liesin cleared his throat. “Father, a word.”
Hades stopped and turned back to his son. Liesin moved in closer to bend down and whisper something in his ear. Every so often, he glanced at Nova, and I didn’t like the look in his eye or the way he smirked. But most of all, I didn’t like the look of intrigue Hades showed plainly on his face. Then Hades chuckled, and I knew this was going to be bad.
Hades cleared his throat. “Interesting, very interesting. Like father, like son.” A wide smile spread across his face, and he clapped his hands together. “New deal. The enchantress can go… if she stays.” He pointed at Nova.
A chorus of objections rang out. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Are you insane?”
“No.”
“I mean, I already said I’d stay.”
“Hell, no.”
Nova held her hand up, silencing us. “No, I got us into this. I’ll get us out of it. DEAL?”
Hades threw his head back and laughed outright. “Deal.”
This couldn’t be happening. Nova was my friend. I wasn’t going to leave her down here. “Nova, no—”
“This won’t be the last time you’ll see me, Astrid.” She looked so confident. “I promise.”
Liesin lumbered down behind his parents and stopped just in front of Nova. “I think you’ll learn to like it down here.”
“I’m going to make you wish you were dead for real, ghost boy.” Nova turned away from him and faced us. “Until we meet again.”
A hole opened up just under her feet, and she fell right into it, disappearing from sight. The dirt closed back over her, and Liesin’s face fell into a scowl.
Hades shook his head and sighed. “Tell Matteaus he owes me.”
“Wait, what about my powers?” I held my hands out toward him. “The others all got theirs back, but I didn’t.”
