Page 5 of Devastation
Stopping next to one of the windows, I take a moment to gaze at the sight. One home features a castle shrouded with purple clouds, glowing lavender hues splashed across the landscape. Another, which lies closest to us, is a soft blue shimmering landscape, sparkles emanating from the home sitting in the middle of it as if the walls are made of diamonds.
"Wow," I breathe out, completely spellbound.
"We're definitely not in Kansas, Sugar Britches." Luke's breath tickles my ear with his nearness before he ruffles the top of my head and steps back to continue down the hall.
Dragging my gaze from the outside world, I follow after my men. Crossing down a few hallways, we pass a beautiful white kitchen filled to the brim with new appliances, a gorgeous garden that I vow to tend to properly, and a large pool overlooking a tropical forest.
This place is absolutely breathtaking, to say the least.
The mood in the air instantly sombers as we pass through a white oak door, and into a new bedchamber. Hale is standing with his back to us next to Nyx and Hypnos as they speak softly near the bed in the center of the room.
Softly padding up to Hale, I gingerly place my hand on his back so I don't alarm him. His head whips around and down to me. Instantly, his face morphs into an expression of pure joy as he scoops me up into his arms and holds the back of my head close, breathing me in.
Squeezing my arms around his neck, I soak in his quiet strength and earthy scent, grounding my erratic emotions.
We are all together again. Wewillget through this.
He releases me and drops a kiss to my forehead. "I missed you so much, Little One."
I take in Hypnos' kind face and can't help the smile that forms on my own face in response. Nyx is another story, though.
If looks could kill, I'd be dismembered and in bloody pieces on the floor from the hostility flashing in her eyes.
Swallowing the sarcastic greeting that threatens to bubble out of me, I school my features into an expression of cordial indifference and brush past her towards the bed holding my final mate.
My breath catches as I see him for the first time since he died in my arms. He’s tucked under white sheets pulled up to his neck and surrounded by a pulsating green energy. The energy calls to me as if I’m its owner.
Cocking my head to the side in confusion, I hear Nyx answer my unspoken question. “As soon as we brought you to this home in the realm of the gods, it recognized you—and, therefore, all of your mates—as its new owner. We’ve never had a demi-god with mates before, so we don’t have all of the answers on how this works.”
As I listen to her, I inspect Ash and am thrilled to see his tan skin is free of the black veins that riddled his body the last time I saw him. I gingerly sit on the edge of the bed and reach through the green energy to brush a few strands of his long, dark locks out of his face.
As my hand brushes against his face, I jerk back at the icy coldness of his skin. A stark reminder that he is not with us right now.
Without looking back at the group, I ask, “So this energy around him is from this place?”
This time Hypnos’ soothing voice answers me. “Yes. Every deity is directly connected to their land, which can change to suit our wants and desires with just a thought. It always protects us. We feed it our energy just by being here, and therefore it can sustain us if we are injured.”
Whirling around with the thought that just popped into my head, I ask, “Wait, why didn’t it recognize Gaia then when she was brought back through the portal? It should have saved her!”
Nyx’s response is biting and full of resentment. “She was past the point of saving. She died for you. Her essence was scattered to the wind and absorbed into the air here as soon as we crossed through the portal.”
Nibbling on my lower lip in thought, I consider her words and find that they make sense. Ithadfelt like Gaia was in the room with me earlier. I'm immediately comforted by the thought that she truly will always be with me here.
Turning back toward Ash, I rub my eyes as I try to process this information overload.
“Ash died in my arms. I felt his breathing stop and saw our tether fade. How is it thathe’snot too far past saving?”
As if they’re taking turns answering my abundant questions, Hypnos moves forward to stand next to me and explains. “His body hadn’t truly succumbed yet. His soul left his body first and was brought to the River Styx for judgement. The energy here is slowly healing his body so it will be ready when you get his soul to tether back.”
Overwhelming relief flows through me at Hypnos’ apparent certainty that this is going to work.
Reaching down to grab Ash's cold hand in my own, I rub my finger absentmindedly against his skin, as if I can warm him up with my touch.
Hope sparks in my chest as I pull my shoulders back and lift my chin. “So, how does one get to the River Styx without dying?”
Chapter Two
Lana
