Page 13 of Salt & Blood

Was he in there with another woman?

Prue didn’t think he could hurt her any more than when he’d first discovered he was human. But no, he could. If he decided to bed another woman, then?—

Prue gritted her teeth. For the first time, fresh anger swept over her, coursing through her and heating her blood. How dare he?

She flung open the doors, letting them bang against the walls as she strode into the chambers. Her eyes flared wide at the scene before her.

Books, papers, and clothes were strewn all over the room. Pillows had been shredded, leaving feathers everywhere. On all fours, gasping for breath, was Cyrus. He was shirtless, his black hair hanging, obscuring his face like a curtain. A sheen of sweat coated his pale skin.

“Cyrus,” Prue said, all ire leaving her at once as she hurried to his side.

But at her approach, Cyrus hissed and cringed away from her. “Don’t.”

She froze at the lethal warning in his voice. He might not have the same powers he’d possessed before, but he still carried the authority of a god.

“What happened?” Prue asked, trying not to let panic bleed into her words.

To her surprise, Cyrus wheezed a mocking laugh, sitting back on the balls of his feet and shaking the sweaty hair from his face. His blue eyes were like chips of ice as he glared at her. “Nothing,wife.Nothing has happened. I am merely winded from the mundane events of the day because of this despicable mortal body. I would be shocked if I lived to see another fortnight at this rate.”

Prue blinked at him, unable to process his words. He was wounded… from his mortal blood? Her gaze passed over him quickly, assessing for injuries. Aside from the blue veins standing out starkly on his arms and neck, and the pallor of his skin, he seemed unharmed.

She swallowed hard, uncertain of what to do. It was clear he didn’t want her pity or concern. What could she do for him? She wanted to touch him, to hold him to her chest.

But no. He would hate to be coddled. She knew Cyrus better than anyone. And although he had been severely altered from this transformation, she knew his soul. His mind.

He wanted power. Respect. Strength. And he had lost all of that.

Sorrow welled inside her at the sight of her husband like this, and her, powerless to help him.

After a long moment, she said quietly, “Do you wish to leave?”

Cyrus turned to look at her fully, his dark brows furrowing in confusion. “Leave?”

“Leave the Underworld.”

His lips parted in surprise, and Prue was alarmed at how refreshing it was to see an emotion other than hatred on his face.

“If you are unhappy here,” Prue went on, “I can arrange for you to be taken to the mortal realm.”

Cyrus snorted, casting his gaze skyward. “The mortal realm.” He said the words with derision.

Prue scoffed and crossed her arms. “You’ve been there before. It wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Cyrus’s expression shifted, his eyes flaring with an emotion Prue couldn’t place. Something softened in his features for a brief moment, but his apathetic mask slid into place before Prue could scrutinize it. “I suppose not.”

“Is that what you want?” Prue asked. “To leave here?”To leave me,she wanted to say. But she couldn’t bring herself to ask directly.

If he no longer loved her, she would let him go. She would let him live whatever life he wanted to.

Cyrus leaned against the armoire behind him, draping his arms over his legs as he fiddled with a loose thread on his trousers. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you offering? To get me out of the way? To be rid of the embarrassment of having a human for a husband?”

Prue’s nostrils flared. “You forget thatIwas a human once, too. And you looked down on me, sneering at me at every turn. I will not do the same to you. I lived among humans my entire life. I have nothing but respect for them.”

“You were a witch.” Cyrus waved his hand, as if her words didn’t matter. “You still had magic. That’s hardlyhuman.”

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