Page 40 of Salt & Blood

“What is that?” Mona asked.

“Dammit,” Midas murmured. He moved toward a servant who stood against the wall and whispered something. The servant nodded and darted down a tunnel behind the throne. With a fierce expression, Midas turned to face Mona and removed his gloves. His hands were the same brown color as his skin, but a strange golden glow surrounded them like a transparent glove.

“You best summon your earth magic again, little goddess,” Midas said. “We’ve got demons approaching.”

DRAINED

PRUE

Cyrus wasfast asleep when Prue crept out of his chambers. But she had allowed herself a moment to gaze upon him without interruption. Since his transformation, every time she had looked at him for too long, she had feared he would lash out at her or think she was staring only because she was horrified by who he was now.

But it wasn’t true. He was still utterly and devastatingly beautiful. From his thick black lashes fanned out on his cheek to his fit and sculpted body. His inky black hair, mussed from sleep, had fallen around his face, partially obscuring one eye. His skin was smooth and pale, and although there were no tattoos, Prue couldn’t help but admire the muscles lining his arms and chest. The way her hands and tongue had explored those muscles…

She shook her head before the heat pulsing between her thighs became unbearable. She had exhausted them both last night. With his human form, Cyrus’s stamina wasn’t the same, but he had still managed to completely satisfy her. Afterwards, she had wanted to do the same for him. She wanted to showhimhow much she adored this new body of his. And she hoped that when he woke, he would remember that.

After pulling her dress back on, Prue slipped out of the room, checking to ensure the hallway was clear before she tiptoed back to her own chambers. She heaved a sigh and pulled on a fresh dress, this one a brassy gold, then tugged her impossible hair into a messy knot at the top of her head. She couldn’t send for a maid for fear word would get to Apollo that Prue hadn’t spent the night in her own chambers. This secret needed to stay strictly between Prue and Cyrus.

After ensuring she looked at least somewhat decent, Prue emerged from her chambers and made her way downstairs. With the Underworld in its broken state, she didn’t know what time it was. Ordinarily, an enchantment had the sun rising and setting every day, and, although it was only an illusion, it had always brought Prue a sense of comfort, reminding her of home.

Home.Goddess, whatwashome for her anymore? For a long time, it had been Krenia. But even there, Prue had felt a sense of restlessness, a desperation for a thrill or an adventure.

She supposed the Underworld was her home now, although it wasn’t the same as when she had first come here. Still, it felt empty and lonely without Gaia or Mona to support her. Cyrus was on her side, or so he claimed. She couldn’t help but harbor doubts about his allegiance, especially given his past behavior. Back and forth, they seemed to dance. And she wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t.

Even if hewason her side, they could only be together in secret. Apollo had to believe Cyrus was loyal to him, so, outside of their chambers, Prue was completely alone.

“My queen,” said a voice, startling Prue from her thoughts.

She jumped and turned to find Lagos bowing before her. They stood at the bottom of the staircase, and Prue’s hand was absently resting on the bannister. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been standing like that, lost in her confusing thoughts.

Prue found herself smiling, realizing she wasn’t as alone as she thought. She still had Lagos, who had proven his loyalty to her on more than one occasion. “Lagos, it’s so good to see you. Are you ready to get to work?”

“There’s no need, my queen. I have found what you were looking for.”

Prue’s pulse quickened, and she pressed a hand to her chest. She and Lagos had been searching for days for answers to the question of the realm’s magic. She wanted to know if what Apollo said was true, or if there was a way to reconnect her magic to the Underworld once more.

“Show me,” Prue said breathlessly.

Lagos nodded and turned to stride down the hall. Prue hurried to match his pace, her heart thundering in her chest. But as Lagos led her down another set of stairs, her chest tightened for an entirely new reason. He was leading her to the lower vaults of the palace—the same room where Cyrus had brought her back to life, then awakened and spat those hateful things at her. This was the place where Prue had broken her mother’s curse, but it was also the place where her husband had shattered her heart.

His anger and venom toward her had been so potent, so raw, sopowerful… She had believed nothing could bring him back from that.

She had truly believed he was lost to her.

Swallowing around the knot of emotions in her throat, Prue took a steadying breath and followed Lagos down the stairs.

He is on your side, Prue,she reminded herself.He said as much last night.

But he also said other things,another part of her whispered.How are you to know what’s real?

Shaking her head, Prue followed Lagos across the room, past boxes and crates and furniture covered in white sheets. Prue’s fingertips drifted over a dusty set of shelves upon which rested various jars and vials of potion ingredients. The smell of sage and earth magic whispered in the air, strangely reminding her of her home back in Krenia.

“Here.” Lagos crouched low to the ground before hoisting a hefty book from the bottom shelf and setting it onto a dusty end table. Prue coughed as dust particles floated in the air before her. Then, she squinted at the book Lagos had found. Power thrummed through it, and as she scrutinized the book, she had the strange feeling it was watching her in return. And there was something familiar about that leather cover…

With a yelp, she jerked backward, her blood chilling as panic and alarm raced through her. She stumbled, barely catching herself before falling. “L-Lagos, where did you find that?”

Lagos straightened, glancing from the book to Prue and back again. “It was here, my queen. It must have been here for ages.”

Prue shook her head, hands trembling as she covered her mouth. “No. No, it wasnothere. This book was once in Krenia with me when I used it to summon Cyrus. After that, it showed up in Faidon when I resurrected Mona. That—That’s theBook of Eyes.”

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