Page 63 of Going to Hell
That quieted the whole room, and the silence that followed filled me with more fear.
“Look at her tremble. She trembled sweetly in my arms once before. Why can’t this be real?”
Shit. Was I losing him again?
I moved my head, brushing my nose over his chest to remind him that this was real.
“Let’s keep moving,” I said softly.
“Yes. Find the soul,” he agreed even as he cupped the back of my head and pressed my face against his skin. I didn’t give him what he wanted, though. We needed to get out of there before the monsters figured out Hades didn’t know I was an imposter.
But he didn’t move. And, I realized he wasn’t walking because I was still wrapped around him.
Letting go had never been harder. We both might have made distressed sounds when I finally loosened my hold and put some space between us.
With my gaze firmly locked on the ground, I found one of his hands and clasped it in mine.
“Look at her skin. She still smells of the sun.”
I gave his hand a little tug to get him moving. He chuckled and started leading us through the hall. The sets of feet we passed easily numbered over one hundred, and that was just the monsters in the immediate area. I could only imagine the number in the room. Legions. My knees were weak by the time we reached the other end.
The hallway closed in around us, and I managed to keep it together until we reached the end and turned right. I immediately released my death grip on Hades’ hand and sat with my back against the wall. Shaking consumed me like I was having some kind of seizure. Knowing that it was shock taking its due, I rested my forehead on my knees and hugged myself.
“I just need a few minutes,” I said when I felt Hades crouch beside me.
His hand settled ever so lightly on the top of my head after a moment of silence. It smoothed down over my hair in a touch so comforting I let out a shaky exhale and some of the fear.
The monsters hadn’t chased me, and Hades hadn’t killed me. Everything was fine. Just fine.
“Would you like to rest in a room?” he asked after another soothing stroke.
“No. I want to find my uncle.” I lifted my head. His warm brown gaze met and held mine. There was so much love and caring in there that I found myself admitting my worst fear.
“You’re going to kill me when you finally remember the truth.”
His gaze dipped to my lips then moved back to my eyes again.
“Your fear feels so real,” he said roughly. “I don’t like this game.”
“Neither do I,” I admitted.
I took a deep breath then stood.
“Let’s get this over with.”
He straightened and held out his hand. Although I knew it wasn’t smart, I threaded my fingers through his and let him lead the way.
The room we entered was far bigger than the dining hall. It echoed with its vastness. Instead of tables, it was filled with racks and racks of scrolls.
“The Hall of Records?” I asked.
Rather than answer me, he released my hand and continued into the room, heading toward an odd chair and table built into the wall on our right. I trailed a few steps behind him, sticking close. Close enough to see that the worn stone seat didn’t look overly comfortable, not that it stopped Hades. He sat in it like it was a throne, leaning back indolently and setting his hand on the stone armrest. The other he held out in front of him like he was accepting a drink from a server.
I looked around the space, but we were alone. When I glanced at Hades, his fingers twitched and he frowned.
There were a million questions I wanted to ask, but I kept quiet and waited, hoping I’d figure out what the heck he was doing.
He continued staring off at the racks for several long heartbeats before he growled and ran a hand through his hair.
