Page 4 of Love and Death
I see now the truth of it. There is no one left to save me or my father from our mortal fates, let alone from Hades.
A groan of pain jolts me from my spiraling thoughts as the king signals for my father to be forced to his knees.
“Stop! What are you doing?” I cry, taking another step forward just as one of the guards grabs a handful of my father’s hair, yanking his head back, and the other lifts a sharp blade to his throat.
“Tell me, petal,” Hades says. “Would you continue to defy me, even at the cost of your father’s soul?”
I struggle to swallow past the lump forming in my throat, my mouth now so dry that I’m afraid no words can escape my lips. Tearing my eyes from my father, I force myself to meet Hades’ gaze and slowly shake my head.
“Speak!”
I grit my teeth against his demand before forcing myanswer out, my stomach pitting in defeat. “No. I-I will go with you. Only, please … Please, do not harm him.”
Hades watches me for a long moment, the silence stretching between us almost palpable, and my skin crawls under his unwavering gaze.
“Is that so?” he drawls.
“Yes,” I say, the word leaving an altogether vile taste on my tongue.
His lip curls up over his teeth in a cruel sneer at this, not unlike a monster that knows it has finally cornered its prey, and I know things are only going to get worse for me.
“Then beg,” he orders, his voice low and guttural.
“What?”
His eyes sparkle with cruelty.
“I want you to beg,” he says again. “Beg for your father’s soul to be spared, and perhaps, I may be moved to stay my hand.”
My stomach knots sickeningly at the very thought.
Of course, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time I’ve begged for my father’s life, nor do I believe it will be the last should he actually be spared, but it had always been of my own volition. To do so at Hades’ bidding, to do so when I have no choice but to comply, is an entirely different matter.
There is no one left to save us, no one left to stand between me and Hades’ chosen form of judgment. I have no choice but to obey, however cruel his demands may be, and he knows it.
My eyes flash to my father, fear wrapping its poisonous tendrils around my heart as I watch the guardstighten their hold on him in anticipation of their king’s order.
I steel myself, the weight of my father’s life bearing down upon my shoulders, before turning my attention back to Hades.
“Please,” I begin, my voice barely audible above the pounding of my heart in my ears. “Please, spare my father, and I—”
“Pathetic,” Hades scoffs, flicking his wrist toward the guards.
“No!” I cry, dropping to my knees before the king and clasping my hands together in supplication. “Please. Please, my king, I promise to be obedient. I-I’ll do anything, if you will but spare my father’s soul.”
Hades stares down at me, a mixture of amusement and disdain playing across his features, his piercing eyes cold and calculating. It’s clear that he is enjoying this moment of power, relishing the fear and desperation that I’m certain he can all but taste as it rolls off me in waves.
“Is that so,” he says, his voice low and dangerous. “You would doanything?”
I nod, my throat thickening against the rise of bile as he cocks his head to one side, studying me with such twisted delight that it makes my skin crawl.
Hades steps toward me, and I swallow hard to keep myself from getting sick. Fighting the urge to turn my face away at the unbearable closeness of him, I cannot help but flinch as he stops to extend his hand in offering.
I clench my jaw, only allowing myself a moment’s hesitation before reaching out to accept it. Immediately, his fingers close around mine in a vice-like grip, and Ihave to bite back a yelp of pain as he yanks me roughly to my feet.
I stumble forward in shock from the suddenness of the motion, my body crashing unwillingly into his, and Hades is quick to grab my upper arm, effectively pinning me against him, before I can pull away fast enough to right myself.
“Good girl,” he whispers, bending so that his lips nearly brush against my ear, the heat of his breath tickling the hair at the nape of my neck and sending icy chills racing down my spine. “In future, you would do well to remember what you have promised me … for I certainly will.”
