Page 49 of Salt & Blood

A tear streaked down her face, and Cyrus brushed it away with his thumb. Her lower lip wobbled, and, after a moment, she relented.

“Hyperion,” she whispered. “He—He wasdrainingmy power. Cyrus, it was like he was… eating it.” She shuddered, her face twisting into a disgusted grimace. “My earth magic could do nothing against him. It only fueled him.”

Cyrus stared hard at the mahogany door behind her, his gaze unfocused as he tried to recall what he knew about the Titans. He had assumed allowing Hyperion entry into the Underworld had been safe. Nothing he’d read indicated the Titan had any siphoning powers. Was it possible he picked it up in Tartarus? Would the wards even allow a power like that to develop?

“Cyrus,” Prue said, her voice gaining strength. “If he has weakened me, I don’t think I can face Apollo when he challenges me. I won’t be strong enough. I—I think that’s Apollo’s plan. To drain me completely so I can’t fight.”

Cyrus’s jaw flexed as his mind worked furiously to put the pieces together. After a moment, he shook his head slowly. “No. He wants tostealyour power. With Gaia gone, you can no longer be used as leverage. You have no reason to help him rebuild the realm. But if Hyperion can steal your power, he can use it to rebuild in your place. Which means Apollo will be free to kill you.”

Prue’s face paled. It was clear she hadn’t considered this. “Oh, Goddess. What can we do?”

The anger rising in Cyrus’s chest reached boiling point. He took a shaky breath before stroking his fingers gently along Prue’s cheeks, traveling lower until he brushed the bruising of her neck. Red crept into his vision, and he wanted to roar with rage, to drive his fist into the wall.

“I’m going to see Apollo,” he bit out, unable to keep his voice from quivering with rage.

Prue’s eyes flared wide. “Cyrus, you can’t! You have to keep up the ruse. He has to believe you’re on his side.”

“He knows I’m not on his side,” Cyrus sneered. “Otherwise he wouldn’t have done this. Part of our agreement was that he wouldn’t hurt you. And he’s broken that.”

Cyrus reached for the door handle but Prue stilled his hand, her eyes full of worry. “Cyrus, he could kill you,” she breathed.

“He won’t. He still needs me.” But Cyrus wasn’t sure how much he believed this anymore. He had shown Apollo that Lagos had the power to unlock Tartarus. All Apollo had to do was coerce the demon, and he could unleash the rest of the Titans.

“I cannot donothing, Prue,” he said. “He has made a threat against you, and I have to do something. If anything, I have to know what he is planning next. Let me confront him. Perhaps I can… convince him to leave you alone.”

Prue arched an eyebrow, her expression full of doubt. Cyrus almost smiled, but the fury brewing inside him was too potent for amusement right now.

“There’s something else,” Prue said, her face sobering. “I found the Book of Eyes.”

Cyrus’s blood ran cold, and his pulse quickened.The Book of Eyes.The grimoire that had bound him to the mortal realm. The very book that had granted him enough power to overthrow Aidoneus and take the throne. His throat went dry, and he wasn’t certain if he should feel excitement or dread.

“Lagos and I think it returned because your powers are gone,” Prue went on. “Do you think it’s possible the book can give you your magic back?”

Cyrus shook his head. “I don’t want it to.”

Prue’s head reared back, her mouth falling open. “You—You don’t?”

“No. Not like that. The way that book tethered me… It was too restrictive. It held too much power over me. I would rather have no powers at all than to be controlled by it.” The conviction with which he spoke surprised even himself. He didn’t realize how true his words were until he uttered them. Yes, the book had granted him power. But it had also pulled him to the mortal realm against his will, forcing him to leave the Underworld when it was in danger. He had no choice in the matter.

And what if Apollo got his hands on the book? If Cyrus’s magic was linked to it, would that mean the sun god would be able to controlhim? He couldn’t risk that.

“Leave the Book of Eyes,” Cyrus murmured, resting his thumb underneath her chin. “Let Apollo toy with it. If the book steals his magic or wrestles control from him, then all the better. But I don’t want anything to do with that grimoire. Not anymore.”

Prue leaned in and kissed him, her mouth salty with tears, but smooth and warm and soft. He captured her lips again and again. His movements were fervent and desperate until he was pinning her against the door, his chest aligned with hers. Her arms wound around him, tangling in his black hair, dragging him ever closer. His tongue twined with hers, and he angled his head to ravish her fully. She uttered a soft sigh in his mouth, and he swallowed it hungrily. An aching, urgent part of him wanted to hike up her skirts and thrust into her this very moment, just to prove to himself that she was alive, she was safe, and she was well. The panic coursing through him was so volatile, so frantic that he needed to do something to quell it. He needed to prove to himself that Prue wasn’t in danger. He wasn’t going to lose her again.

He caught her lower lip between his teeth, and her hips rolled against him in response, grinding directly into his arousal. He groaned, the sound low in his throat, and pulled away before this woman completely undid him.

“You don’t have to see Apollo right now,” she said breathlessly, her mouth pink from their passionate kisses. “There is time.”

He leaned in, brushing his nose against hers. “I know,” he whispered. “Believe me, there is nothing I want more than to take you to that bed, rip off your clothes, and thrust so deeply into you that you forget your own name.”

She shuddered, her eyes closing and her lips parting. “Then do it,” she challenged.

Cyrus bit back a growl and kissed her again, forceful and bruising, his tongue plunging between her lips to taste her thoroughly. She gripped his shoulders tightly, her body writhing against his in silent demand.

When he broke away, he pressed his forehead to hers, struggling to catch his breath. “I need to do this, Prue. In my former life, I stood by while others threatened my kingdom. I did nothing for my people. I have to be different, even if I am weaker. At the very least, I must tell him our deal is off. I will not help him anymore.”

Prue searched his eyes. What she was looking for, Cyrus didn’t know. But after a moment, she nodded, and Cyrus stood back to free her from the door he’d pinned her against. She stepped aside, and Cyrus opened the door.

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