Page 19 of Underworld

She’s seething as she spits out, "You could have told me what was going on! You could have given me a bulletproof vest! I’m the fucking Queen of this Underworld now, am I not?!”

She’s right; we should have told her what was going on. We should have given her a vest to protect herself. She is the Queen of the Underworld. She’s our Queen, which is why we wanted to protect her from our world as long as we could. “Yes,” I growl.

“Then you guys should have told me shit was going down! I’m not a fucking idiot! I know you guys have enemies, but if I need to be prepared, you have to fucking tell me that shit. Do you understand?!” She’s screaming at this point, and I have to stop myself from wincing at how high-pitched her voice is.

I take a deep breath and force out, “Yes, My Queen.”

“I don't want you to EVER fucking do that again. You are not my fucking bulletproof shield! Do you understand?"

Shaking my head, I grunt and reply, "I'm not going to promise that; I'll protect you no matter what."

She stomps over, stopping in front of me and standing on her tiptoes as she yells, "You won't be protecting me if you’re fucking dead!"

I can feel the tight grip I have on my emotions slipping. Every single emotion I’ve held back for the last ten years is slipping through my fingers. I growl out, "Then I'll die a fucking happy man knowing you’re alive.”

She slaps me across the face. "How fucking dare you," she says, still seething.

I’m surprised by the slap, but as she goes to do it again, I grab her hand. I can see tears gathering in her eyes as she screams, "How fucking dare you!"

My chest tightens, and the titanium wall I spent years building around my heart shatters in that moment. "I won't fail to protect you again. Not again, Do you hear me?" I whisper.

Her eyes meet mine, and she opens her mouth to scream at me again, but something stops her. I cup her face and gently wipe away her tears. My vision starts to blur as I rest my forehead against hers. "I can't fail again. I wouldn’t survive losing you a second time."

I’ve failed her for so long. I failed to take her away from her father. I failed to protect her when she was ten, and she was ripped away from us. I failed to find her these last ten years, and because of that, I failed to protect her. I can’t fail her again. Not when my Sunshine, my light, has finally come back to us.

Jace and I have lived in the dark since she was stolen from us. We did our best to put up a strong front for Howe and Alec. When Jace broke that day he tried to play their song, I made sure Howe and Alec were gone. I stayed beside him every time he tried to play. We broke together. After each attempt, we would gather our shattered pieces and put on a brave face regardless of how broken we were.

But right now, I can’t do it. I can’t fake it. “I’ve failed you for so long, Sunshine,” I choke out.

She reaches up to cup my face, her small, delicate fingers stroking my cheeks. I close my eyes and feel myself shatter at her touch. The tears I’ve held back for ten years begin to fall in earnest. I release my grip on her face as she pulls me down, shoving my face into her neck. She wraps her arms around my neck and holds me tight.

“You haven’t failed me, Z,” she whispers, barely loud enough for me to hear.

I wrap my arms around her and hold her as close as possible. I need to feel that she’s real and here with me. My body trembles as I try to suck in a breath in an attempt to hold back the sobs wanting to take control. “I can’t lose my Sunshine. I need to protect you. I CAN’T fail again.” My voice cracks at the end.

She slips her fingers into my hair, gently scratching my scalp. “I’m here. I’m safe. You protected me. But you guys need to tell me these things. I’ve protected myself for the last ten years. You can protect me, but I need to protect you too.”

I pick her up and carry her over to the bed, then sit so she’s straddling my lap. Pulling her close, I rest my face in the crook of her neck again. I take a deep inhale of her lilac scent. It calms my thumping heart, the burn behind my eyes subsiding. As we lie together, I remember the song I used to whisper to her ever so often when she had a horrible day with her dad. She would cuddle close, even then.

I hold her tighter as I remember part of the lyrics. I pull away just far enough so she can hear my whispered words, “Please . . . please don’t take my Sunshine away.”

Chapter Sixteen

Jane

We sat there wrapped in each other for what felt like hours but was really only a few minutes. Eventually, Zane sighs and pulls away. “We need to get ready for the meeting. Do you need help with your skull makeup?” he asks.

I shake my head. “I should be fine. I’ll meet you guys down there.” I press my lips against his briefly before sliding off his lap. He groans, and I can’t help but laugh. He eyes me for a moment as if debating whether or not he should leave me. I smile as I make my way to the bathroom. “Go get ready,” I say over my shoulder.

He hums. “Fine. I’ll send Alpha and Beta to walk you down.” I listen for the door to close behind him, and I laugh because that door wasn’t there the other day. I hadn’t noticed it in my anger, but it seems they don’t want a Hellhound to walk by and see something they aren’t supposed to.

I walk into my closet and look around. What do I want to wear on my first official day as Persephone? I feel like I should wear black, and I can pair my outfit with my dark pink crown the guys got me. Searching through the dresses, I find the black sheer-lace dress with straps. I know I need to get the dress on before I do my makeup.

Slipping into the dress, I look in the mirror. My mouth drops because I look nothing like myself. Shaking myself, I grab one of the boxes of heels Alec bought. I open the first box and instantly decide I’m wearing them. They have a tall black heel that is maybe three inches high. They look like snake scales, and instead of a strap around my ankle, there is a golden snake. I grin because it goes with Jace’s persona of Hades.

I place them on the bathroom counter to slip them on when I’m done. Finding my pink UV contacts, I put them in before starting my makeup. I am not one of those girls who can put contacts in with a face full of makeup. I make my eyes dark and pair it with a deep red lip stain. As the finishing touch, I put the dark pink crown on, and I must admit, I look badass.

With a deep sigh, I know it’s time to do my skull makeup. I regret telling Zane that I didn’t need any help, but it’s too late now. I grab my pink UV paint and a small paintbrush, ready to get to work. Each time I make a mistake, I growl. When I make a mistake yet again, I scream.

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