Page 79 of Queen of the Underworld

Her head snapped up in time for her to see a great black-winged shadow pass overhead.

The beast angled its long body, its pointed tail slicing through the air as it beat its wings, and a glowing red eye scanned the forest. She ducked down and pressed against a tree, never more aware of her bright scarlet hair and green dress, and how black everything was in comparison to her. Her heart lodged in her throat as she stilled, terror gripping her as she stared at the sky, trying to spot where it had gone.

She looked at the branch she still gripped, a weapon that would be useless against such a beast, and then in the direction the other creature had run, a cold feeling sliding through her.

It hadn’t run because she had chased it off.

It hadn’t run from her.

It had sensed this larger creature closing in on their location and had fled from it.

Her gaze slowly drifted to the weapon in her sooty hands as her breaths shallowed.

Charcoal.

She swallowed hard.

The trees had been scorched by an inferno.

By wyvern fire.

Everything went still and silent, and then a roar rolled across the land, raising the fine hairs on her nape and arms and sending a chill shooting down her spine—the same roar she had heard when walking with Hades.

Persephone kicked off into a stumbling run through the trees.

Just as intense heat blazed across her back and golden light threw her shadow out before her.

Chapter 22

Unease slid down Hades’s spine as he removed his gauntlets to tuck them into the waist of his black armour as he approached the tower.

Nyx stood at the base of it, speaking with several of his temple guards. His gaze leaped to the top of the tower and then back to Nyx, and the urge to teleport to her and discover what had happened was strong, but not as strong as his need to reassure himself that Persephone was still in her room.

He stepped into the darkness and out the other side, coming to a dead stop in the centre of the circular room at the top of the tower. He swung around, gaze darting over the bed and the bath, and the scant furniture.

The room was empty.

His heart hammered a hard beat against his ribs, so fierce it felt as if they might crack under the duress.

Hemight crack.

Hades teleported again, landing close to Nyx this time, startling her. She spun to face him, her right hand coming up to flutter close to the silver-blue arcs of metal that formed her breastplate and her dark-to-light-blue eyes widening.

“My god-king,” she murmured throatily, her voice hitching as if with sorrow.

He narrowed his eyes on her and barked, “Where is she?”

“Gone. Your little pet escaped and now she is gone.” She reached her other hand out to him and that sorrow in her voice painted itself across her fine features.

But Hades was not fooled.

“What did you do?” he snarled as darkness swept through him to swallow the light, plunging his soul back into the abyss Persephone had been slowly drawing it up from. His nails transformed into claws as his teeth lengthened into fangs and his vision sharpened as shadows swathed his mind and something within him purred at him to force Nyx to answer him.

Shock swept over Nyx’s face, fooling the guards judging by the looks they cast at her, but not him.

Her little act wasn’t convincing in the slightest.

Hades shot his hand out, grasped her throat and yanked her to him, until her face was mere inches from his. He flashed his fangs in her face as he closed his fingers, pressing the tips of his claws into her flesh.

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