Page 156 of The Hunger
“She’s alive and unhurt, for now.” He wiped the back of his hand over his mouth and looked at Megan. “She’s in hell.”
Megan’s eyes went wide, and she immediately disappeared. Oanen swore.
“She’ll be able to get her, right?” I asked, watching Zayn.
“She’s the only one who can,” he said. “It was dumb luck Ashlyn even landed there in the first place. I’ve never heard of a spell to send the living to hell.” He got to his feet and took a wobbling step toward the table.
A burst of heat announced Megan’s return.
Her face was pale, and she was shaking.
And she was alone.
“Where’s Ashlyn?” Oanen asked.
“Couldn’t you find her?” I asked, worry eating at me.
Megan’s fiery gaze swept over us.
“Ashlyn woke Hades, and he’s not letting her go.”
Silence and fear engulfed the kitchen.
“No,” I whispered, pain carving out a hole in my chest. I barely noticed Fenris’s arms around me as the truth of what I’d done settled in my mind. Ashlyn had hated it in Uttira. She’d spent so much of her life either hiding from the monsters or running from them. And I’d sent her straight to the source.
Megan snapped her fingers in front of my face.
“Don’t you dare take ownership for this,” she said, her burning gaze holding mine. “Put the blame where it’s due. The only piece you played is not standing up for yourself. So stand up. Ashlyn needs us to get her back.”
“We need to tell my parents,” Oanen said.
“No,” I said, seeing just how right Megan was. “First, we need a plan. The Council doesn’t try to fix things. At least, not all of its members. Adira will only listen to what’s going on then try to figure out how to use the events for whatever agenda she has.”
I looked at Fenris.
“We’re not mated. Will your dad use this to try to keep us apart? Will Adira use it to push us together? That’s how they’re going to think instead of focusing on getting Ashlyn out of hell.”
Oanen sighed, but he agreed.
“So what do you propose?” Megan asked him.
“You’re Hades’s daughter,” Zayn said, reminding us all he was still there. “You need to figure out what will appease daddy dearest and then ask for Ashlyn. Nicely, Megan.”
“What are the chances I could just ask Hades what would appease him?”
Zayn went quiet then shook his head as he gave Megan a hard look.
“In everything I’ve ever come across that mentioned the gods and goddesses, there was nothing to hint why they left or went to sleep in the first place. They waged war against each other and fought for dominion over man for eons, according to some texts. Why, then, would they voluntarily go to sleep? They wouldn’t.”
“So asking him would tip him off to what we want to do. And he’ll fight us so he doesn’t go back to sleep.”
“I think so. It might be something you want to discuss with Irene. She’s proven she’s well connected.”
Megan looked at Oanen in question.
“We go together,” he said before focusing on me. “We’ll leave it to you to tell the Council what’s happening.”
“And I need to get back to my sister, Elizabeth. I would like to take a vial of Eliana’s life essence with me to use in a complex and very potent protection spell for her.”
