Page 17 of Queen of the Underworld

Darkness welled inside him, rising swiftly to have him tugging her closer still. He glared at any who dared to look at her, his shadows streaming out behind him as his mood blackened. It spread like an oily tide through his veins, one that smothered the softer feelings she had evoked in him, systematically destroying them to replace them with a seething need for violence. His shadows writhed and snapped at the land around his chariot.

The darkness grew stronger with each male who gazed upon her, stealing pieces of him as it slowly consumed him, and he bared his fangs at all who looked at her and tucked her closer to him, lifting her head and palming the back of it as he held it to his chest, concealing her from their wretched gazes.

She was his and only his.

Screams rang out behind him as he sneered and his shadows ripped into every male who had dared to look at her, the harrowing sounds cutting off abruptly as his shadows made fast work of them.

Setting an example.

No one looked at his female but him.

Ahead of him, the black temple loomed, the beaten gold dishes of flaming oil that sat before each column illuminating them with blue fire. The light reached the triangular pediment, revealing the frieze of him at war, riding his chariot as he was now.

A sharp feeling arrowed through him to have him turning his chariot away from his home as he catalogued the guards who patrolled the area around it, his servants, and the souls who came and went, offering prayers and gifts to him.

Too many males.

He clutched the slumbering female more tightly, almost smothering her against his chest, and urged his horses onwards, towards the mountains, to a stretch of empty land that stood at a distance from the temple and the large black barracks. When he was satisfied he was far away enough from any males, he pulled the horses to a halt. They reared and whinnied, kicking out and snorting as they shook their heads.

White froth streaked their glossy black coats and gathered at the corners of their mouths, and each of them breathed hard as they settled, struggling to recover from their race across the Underworld. He would see to their care once his queen was situated in her new home, safe from any prying eyes and unable to escape him.

Hades scooped her up into his arms, cradling her beneath her knees and against her back, and stepped down off the black-and-gold chariot. He carried her past the horses, heading towards the jagged onyx mountains that spewed ash and sparks of fire into the crimson sky. Shadows clung to his shoulders and streamed behind him, as agitated and restless as he was.

He gazed down at her. “I must construct you a home that is both safe and befitting of you, my beauty. Something striking.”

Something that would strike fear into all who saw it, keeping them away from his queen.

A wide circular foundation rose beneath the pointed toes of his black metal boots and he kept walking forwards, never taking his gaze off her, transfixed by the sight of her and how the darkness grew quieter the longer he looked at her. A step rose beneath his left foot and then one beneath his right, and walls grew from the black ground, forming around the circular base and keeping pace with the growth of the stairs.

Hades kept his focus on her and her alone as he ascended the spiral staircase that formed beneath his feet, each step protruding from the wall just as his foot came down, carrying her ever upwards.

When they were high above the realm, a stone floor crept outwards around him and the walls continued upwards, punctured by windows and even a balcony, and then they closed over him, forming a jagged series of spikes that pierced the sky on the outside and a domed ceiling on the inside. From the middle of the ceiling grew a stone chandelier with three bowls. Blue fire burst to life in them and slowly shifted to gold as he focused, casting warm light over the goddess in his arms.

Light more suited to her.

Hades strode across the room, his black cloak flowing around his ankles, and a large stone bed formed beneath one of the narrow windows.

He eased her down onto it, pressed his left knee to the hard surface and leaned over her, the pointed tips of his talons digging into the stone on either side of her.

Lingering.

Unable to wrench himself away even when he had duties that required his presence and he knew it was better to leave now, while the darker side of his blood was subdued.

Her skin seemed to glow against the dark stone, her soft jade dress that flowed around her and the tumbling waves of her scarlet hair that fanned outwards a stark contrast to it. She was a splash of colour in his dark world, one that had his heart drumming hard and enthralled him. He lifted his right hand, keeping his left planted against the stone bed, and carefully teased a rogue crimson wave from her alabaster cheeks. He stared at the glossy strands that draped over his talons and then at her lovely face.

Feeling strangely lost.

He was sure she was a sorceress and had cast some kind of spell upon him to ravage his defences so easily, leaving him feeling vulnerable and exposed in a way he found he didn’t like, yet couldn’t prevent.

Hades stared at her, unsure of himself and everything for the first time ever. The longer he gazed at her, lingering so close to her, breathing in her delicate scent and drowning in her beauty, the stronger that feeling of being lost became. He couldn’t name the source of it. Only that it was like a living, breathing thing within him now, occupying the space behind his breast that had been hollow for centuries.

It choked him. Seemed to steal the very breath from his lungs. Made his thoughts whirl.

Everything about this strikingly lovely female had him off balance.

Why?

He had waged war with titans without fear. He had fought countless battles in his own realm to ensure all in it dared not rise against him. He had controlled the darkness that ran within his veins to the best of his abilities, harnessing it to maintain his rule and keep his people subdued and obedient.

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