Page 15 of Sticks and Stones and Broken Bones

Ravens cawed around us, devouring corpses that littered the ground, tearing organs apart and pulling flesh from bones.

I knew Hades was trying to scare me, to put me in my place, but I wanted out of this.

I dug deep into the power in my core and acted instinctively. I flooded it into the connection between the two of us and pushed him backwards from my mind. My body trembled and quaked under the sheet effort of challenging his power. I could feel blood dripping from my nose and my eyes but that wasn’t going to stop me.

“Hades,” I whispered and then everything shattered.

Reality came flooding back, the force of it almost pushing me to the ground. When I opened my eyes, I saw Hades kneeling on the ground, his chest heaving and blood dripping down his chin.

I did that. I brought a king to his knees.

Take that, fucker.

I looked over my shoulder at the Revenants and found them watching me with a newfound awe in their eyes. I wanted to fucking bathe in that glow. I suddenly felt powerful and wanted.

Hawk gazed at me with a smile on his face. He took the opportunity whilst Hades was regaining his composure to stand and walk over to me. His golden eyes held mine with a fierce gleam and I’m not going to lie, I may have basked in that a little too.

“Well done, draguta. I knew my inima would not steer me wrong.” He brought his thumb to my face and wiped the blood from under my eye. It was darker than I was expecting, almost black. Just another sign that I wasn’t alive anymore. I watched as Hawk raised his hand towards his face before sucking his thumb into the warmth of his mouth. His eyes flashed red for a second as a low moan rumbled deep in his throat.

Fuck me. That’s hot.

I shouldn’t be turned on by watching someone lick up drops of my blood but hot damn… that was something else. I wanted to press my lips against Hawk’s and taste myself as my tongue pressed against his.

“Maybe later,” he mumbled softly.

Fuck. Could he hear my thoughts?

“Yes,” he replied. “And I like the way you think.”

Hawk stood behind me and I felt the Revenants step closer, circling me and giving me a support that I’d never had before. A warmth circled through me, and tears welled in my eyes. How had it taken me dying to find this?

“No one has ever been able to break free from my hold. No one.” Hades looked at me with something like fear in his eyes.

I shivered. I didn’t know what a scared King of the Underworld would do to me. I might have been able to break my mind free, but I knew he was still powerful enough to destroy me completely.

I raised my eyebrow, feeling a little bit cockier with all that power at my back. “Maybe you’ll think again about being an asshat.”

Hades’ eyes widened before he broke out into a surprising a laugh. Stern looking Hades was gorgeous, but a laughing Hades was absolutely fucking beautiful. I had to look away, his face suddenly too perfect and painful to look at.

Hawk wrapped his arm around my waist protectively, his massive hand covering my abdomen. I could feel the connection pulsing between us, like a hum that vibrated between the air. Now that I thought about it, I could feel it between the Revenants too. Like a thread weaved us all together, binding each to the other.

When Hades finally found his composure, he eyed the six of us with curiosity. I was aware that Hades had created the Revenants, that they were his, but I needed to know what I was doing here with them. What being sacrificed to them meant and how did Hawk fit into all this?

Chapter Nine

Hawk

My draguta stared at the God with curiosity and determination. She stood tall in my arms, no mean feat given her tiny frame. I wanted to protect her, take care of her, love her.

It was strange. All I’d known for the last few centuries was the darkness of the Depths. Endlessly floating, surrounded by misery and agony, enough of it to drive me to the edge of madness.

Then there was this light. This feeling of pure energy that wrapped around me. It reached for it, wanting so desperately to grasp it. To hold on to her. There was so much I could suddenly feel. It overflowed and I knew I would do anything to keep hold of that. I threw everything I had at reaching out to her and holding on, calling out her name and just willing her to want to save me. Hoping that I’d be worthy of being saved.

The moment she pulled me towards her was euphoric. Then I’d emerged and all I’d felt was wildness and chaos. The mania at my core breaking free until I couldn’t contain it and I’d exploded from my humanoid form, breaking down into a purely elemental wisp.

It was only the soft melody of her voice that had calmed me enough that I could shift back. She had chosen me to save, and I’d be forever linked to her. Forever bonded in a moment of grace and hope and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I would give up everything to save her if I needed to.

“So, little witch,” Hades began, his charm radiating through him now that he’d been put in his place. “I have a task for you.”

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