Page 93 of His in the Dark

I do not understand. “But these are your realms. You have power here. All this time, you have?—”

“All this time, I have been living in—” Anger ripples off Hades, but he cuts himself off, turning his head at a sound.

I do not recognize it at first.

Then it gets louder. It is the sound of three dogs barking at once, alerting Hades that a stranger—or at least an outsider—has entered his realm.

“Hekate is coming,” Hades declares.Hekate.A chill runs down my spine. Her name alone inspires something within me. Something dark and powerful.

“Why is she here?” I question in a whisper looking out into the distance. But I know all too well. The powerful Titan doesn’t come on a whim. She is strategic and only steps in when things have gone too far.

“Death.” His eyes return to mine. “There is too much death, my Queen. The gods have created an imbalance. Your mother?—”

“My mother would do no such thing!” I cannot stop myself from silencing him.

Not my mother. She would never harm. I refuse to believe this is her doing. She wouldnot. My mother has always been dedicated to keeping the realms in balance. She has given so much life to the mortal realm. She has answered their prayers! She gives for the sake of giving.

Screams rise in the distance. The dogs continue to bark. It is all too much.

Sylvie steps closer and takes my hand. “My Queen, mothers would do unfathomable things for their daughters.”

Before I can speak another word, Hades takes my hand from hers and places something in it. It’s cold and I have an instinct to pull back.

“What are you doing?” My voice is less than a whisper. There are seeds in my hand, caught between my touch and his. I would know the shape of seeds anywhere. “What are these?”

“Do not drink the wine your father gives you,” Hades tells me urgently.

“What?”

“Eat them quickly, my love. And do not eat or drink anything from your father.” My head spins and he pushes my hand up. As if to have me eat them now.

It’s all too much but the look in his eyes… I cannot deny him.

Hades releases my hand, and I tip the seeds into my mouth. At least some land on my tongue, and I slip them between my teeth. They are tart and juicy, flavor bursting every time I chew.They are small, but there is much to them, and some fall to the ground with his rushed approach

I lift my hand to my mouth, hardly feeling it, and tip another three seeds onto my tongue.

Hades strokes my cheek.

I look into his eyes, a thousand questions racing through my mind. Why is this happening? Whynow? What more would I have to say to him if we only had time?

We do not.

The barking is louder. They are here. I am certain what once was is gone. Today marks a new era. What is to come, I am not sure. But I must continue in uncertainty.

I swallow again. “Hades.” I whisper his name, already feeling as if I’m saying goodbye.

“Do not drink the wine, my love. Promise me,” he orders again. “Tell me you understand.”

“I will not drink the wine,” I repeat, but I cannot tell him I understand. I have always drunk the wine offered at my father’s table. I cannot think of a single reason why I should avoid it. But Hades’s expression is deathly serious. He nods at my promise, then glances up.

The doors to the meeting hall open with a harsh bang, and Cerberus’s barks fill the room. As well as other hounds. Those who accompany Hekate. The mother, the maiden, the crone.

“Hades,” I say, one more time. I cannot face what is to come without telling himsomething,but no words come. How can I possibly state what he has done for me into words? How can I tell him what our bond has come to mean to me in this short time? The days here were so long when I first arrived in the Underworld, and now it seems they have flown by.

I am not ready to say goodbye and yet, I know that I must. I do not wish to leave, and then there is a part of me already gone. It is a torment I cannot bear. It paralyzes me.

I am not the same woman I was when I came here, and it’s because Hades gave me the freedom to discover myself.

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