Page 123 of Queen of the Underworld

To the tower.

More of his strength left him as he slowly turned and drifted back to the edge of the raised flagstones to stare at it.

His heart ached, so he pressed his palm to the chest of his breastplate and dug his talons into the metal, filled with a strange need to claw it out in the hope it would stop it from hurting so. The feelings that twined with the darkness, threading it with ribbons of light, were still foreign to him. And a nuisance, he was beginning to discover. They caused him only pain now, when before they had given him so much pleasure.

Hades leaned his right shoulder against the fluted black column and gazed at the tower, the ache growing. He wasn’t sure how people could live with such feelings, and he didn’t want to feel their torment any longer, but he was well aware they wouldn’t go away. They were only going to grow stronger. Deeper. Even while Persephone was away from him.

Perhaps because she was away from him.

He craved the sight of her, the scent of her. He needed to feel her in his arms again. He needed to hear her light, soft voice.

He needed her.

This feeling he had for her was deep. Permanent. Etched on his heart. She was the light in his soul and the moment she had left his side, the darkness had risen, a creeping tide that was smothering him.

It was too much.

Hades reached for her, using the fact she was now tied to his realm to draw her back to his side and vowing that he would return her again. He just needed a few minutes with her to see him through the next day. Surely her mother wouldn’t deny him that?

Only Persephone didn’t appear.

Hades growled and tried again, diving deeper into his connection to this world and to her through it.

And couldn’t feel her.

Rage swelled inside him, laced with darkness, and his fangs punched long from his gums, the ground beneath his boots quaking as a feeling slithered through his mind, hissing and dripping poison in his ears.

She had tricked him.

She had somehow pretended to eat the seeds to fool him into letting her go, making him believe he could always summon her back to him. She had faked those tears and the pain he had read in her eyes, ravaging his defences to make him unaware of what she had planned.

She had pretended to be in love with him.

Had betrayed him.

The mountain to his right cracked and split open, lava exploding from it to shower the lands around him, and terrified screams rent the silence as pilgrims and guards scattered in all directions, desperately trying to avoid being struck by the missiles of rock that slammed into the ground.

One of them struck the tower, shattering it and hurling great chunks of black stone in all directions.

Hades didn’t bother to move as one rocketed towards him.

He pivoted on his heel, turning his back to it, and stormed into his room.

His shadows that streamed behind him lashed at the rock when it came close to striking his temple, sending it flying into the mountain with such force it formed a crater in its face.

She had betrayed him. Played him for a fool. Everything had been an act. The darkness roared that at him, stoking his rage to keep it at boiling point and clouding his thoughts, blotting out the last rays of the light.

Hades plunged into the black abyss.

What a good little liar she had been too. She had made him believe she felt something for him, and in turn he had foolishly softened his heart towards her.

Not anymore.

He hardened it now, coaxing the darkness and surrendering to it, resolve flooding him as he drew it up like a shield.

No one would touch his heart again.

He sneered and crossed the room, his boots a heavy thunk and scrape as the pointed tips of them scratched at the stone floor. He glared at the bed they had shared. She had wanted to return home—to her world of beauty and light—and life. She had told him that to his face, and then she had told him what he had wanted to hear so she could fulfil her mission to escape thisdead realmas she had called it.

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