Page 111 of The Devil and His Goddess

He snapped his clawed fingers. Every speck of blood, chunk of flesh, shattered bone, and the body burst into shadows before swarming toward Coldin as though he were a vacuum. As the wisps disappeared, the room became spotless. There wasn’t a single shred of evidence to indicate that any torture or killing had taken place here. Coldin followed, disappearing into smoke, no doubt traveling to his hall in Hell to begin his real fun with Drake.

“He’s one scary motherfucker,” Xander noted, blowing out a breath.

I smirked. “Be glad he chose to go easy on that piece of shit while in front of us.”

“I don’t want to know what he does with them once they’re his,” Zagan said as his lip curled in disgust. “Knowing it’s pure Hell is good enough for me.”

Normally, I agreed. Thinking too much about the devious torture Coldin enacted on people made me want to vomit, but I had no intention of letting Drake’s eternal sentence go. He was one soul I couldn’t wait to get details on.

Chapter 42

Harper

THE MOON AND STARS WERE high in the January sky, and it created the softest light on Perseus’s back as he waded through the heated pool. He’d returned early that morning from wherever they were keeping Drake but had to leave for work soon after. I’d been working on my emotional execution in dance during the day, but there was still something blocking me from tapping into my full potential. My technique had improved after my break, but my ability to embody a riveting and engaging performance hadn’t.

I had a hunch as to why that was, though I wasn’t willing to acknowledge it aloud. I wasn’t willing to acknowledge that the love for my body, the confidence in my abilities, and the magic I felt during dance were gone.

I coulddothe dances. I just couldn’t get past my own issues with my body, my reflection, and my lack of self to trulyexperiencethe dance.

When I’d kissed Perseus, I’d felt the sparks of my old self. The girl who enjoyed life and all its pleasures came back, excited to be in his arms and to feel his lips again. But when nothing else happened, she slowly receded and tucked back away inside of myself until I was left with one, painful fact.

I was broken.

I quickly shook the thought away. I couldn’t think that way. Doing so would only send me in the wrong direction when I’d been working endlessly on trudging forward.

To loving dance again.

To loving myself again.

To loving …

I took a deep breath and slid the glass door open to walk out onto the covered outdoor patio. Heaters were stationed at intervals under the roof, creating a warm bubble against the winter night air. Steam rose from the pool water, which billowed up when Perseus turned around to face me.

“Care if I join you?” I asked, shedding the robe I had wrapped around me.

Perseus grinned. “I’d love for you to join me.”

I didn’t have any bathing suits here, so I had on one of his oversized white t-shirts and a pair of panties. The cold air kissed my bare skin as I left the warmth of the patio to cross the concrete to the pool. Perseus offered me his hand as I walked down the stone steps and into the heated water. The warmth made goosebumps break out on my skin, and I let out a small sigh as I dipped to my chin in the water.

“Feel good?” Perseus asked, his voice low and rough.

“Mhm,” I answered.

My hand was still in his, and the two of us floated leisurely through the water like that.

“How’s dance practice going?” he asked after some time.

I shrugged. “I’m still working on it.”

“You’ll figure it out. I know you will.”

I wish I had the same confidence in myself that he seemed to have in me. As it was, I couldn’t have been less stuck in a cycle of doubt.

“Maybe I need to accept the fact that I’m broken and can’t be fixed,” I relented softly.

He stopped his gentle pull of me through the water, and his shoulders tensed as his brow slammed down. “Don’t say that. Youaren’tbroken.”

“Aren’t I?” I snapped back as anger, shame, and hopelessness fired through me all at once.

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