Page 70 of Spellbound
He chuckled. “Nothing like here. It’s vibrant and beautiful, filled with never-ending beauty, no pain, no suffering.”
“Sounds divine.”
The muscle in his jaw twitched. “It is until it isn’t. There’s no growth there. No humanity. People learn through pain, and without it, existence is boring and without purpose. When I was given a body and sent here, I vowed to never go back.”
“You want to stay here?”
He leaned down, bringing his fingers up my bottom lip and running his thumb across. “You feel that? It’s being alive, Elle. There is no touch in the otherworld. It’s just spiritual. They say everything is sins of the flesh, but I call it living.” He looked around us. “The feel of the breeze against your skin and a touch of rain as the skies fill with clouds... every single thing you love, whether it’s laughter or just feeling the grass beneath your feet, it doesn’t exist in the otherworld. It’s a place of passivity and peace masquerading as eternal joy.”
My heart was hammering hard in my chest, to the point where I wondered if it would stop. “Dora will be heartbroken.”
He nodded slowly. “It’s not awful. Most might find it serene, but not me. It’s no match to being here.”
My eyebrows shot up. It probably wasn’t enough for someone like him, with a fiery heart and an electric soul. “Is it really that bad? It’s where I’ll go one day—well, I hope.”
His gaze searched mine. “It’s worth living to your fullest here first. Trust me.”
I turned my attention to the stone arch ahead of us, which stood on three stone steps. “Is this it? Is there a keyhole? It’s hard to see much in the dark.”
“Oh, right. You have mortal eyes.”
I smirked. “Damn these mortal eyes.”
He summoned a ball of light, floating it over the arch. “Here.”
“Thanks,” I murmured. The arch was out of place compared to everything else. The forest hadn’t claimed it for herself. Not a speck of ivy climbed the stone, nor any leaves carpeting the steps. It was pristine. Otherworldly. Etched in the stone were words in Lor. Below them was a key-shaped hole.
“I assume this is it?” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “Your sister’s or brother’s prison realm.”
“It’s my sister’s. Thalia’s wonderful. Don’t be nervous.” He hesitantly put the key in the hole. “Although, I hope she’s well. She’s been locked away for a century. It... does things to your mind.”
“Speaking of being locked away, how did you escape without a key?”
“That is a story for another time.”
A portal to the prison realm opened in a swirling mist of black and blue. My fingers touched Raiden’s as my arm dangled next to his. His fingers flexed, and I moved away.
“Don’t.” He reached back. A muscle quivered in his jaw. I held his hand, and he squeezed mine back. Exhaling deeply, I focused on the portal. I wondered what she was like, the elusive Thalia, goddess of the dead.
A woman stepped out. Her pale skin shone silver under the pale light from the moon. Her gray-and-white eyes fixated on her brother. Strands of silver fell like silk over her shoulders, curling down to her hips. She tucked a lock of it behind her ear. Her thick, glossy lips stretched into a smile. “Brother.” She glanced down at our knotted hands, and I pulled away.
He rushed to her, sweeping her into a stronghold. His well-defined muscles curved visibly under his tight shirt.
She kissed his cheek. “If you’re here, then I’ll assume Freya is dead.”
He pulled her to arm’s length. “No. But she will be soon.”
“How did you get out?”
He glanced from her to me. “It’s a long story.”
“One you will tell me later.” She turned her otherworldly gaze to meet mine. “Who is this?”
“This is Elle.” His smile widened. “She helped to get you out of here.”
“Elle. Short for Eleanor, no doubt.” She tilted her head, the corner of her lip tugging up, the expression sweeping similarity to Raiden. She curled her arms around me. She was an entire foot taller than me, so my head landed at her shoulder.
I shuffled uncomfortably as the steel frame around her bust dug into me. The metal dipped downward between her cleavage. It reminded me of the armor the old king’s knights used to wear, before the monarchy fell. I’d seen them in museums, but hers was far more striking and sexier.
