Page 15 of The Queen & the King

1 The Nightmare & The Daydream Chapter 5

Eleven

Hades

MELLIE PACES ACROSS MY OFFICE RUG, SPINNING ON HER HEELsharply with each turn. One direction shows the face she wears around Plutus Industries. In the other direction, the burn scars mar the perfection of her profile. On one side, she is the Goddess of Nightmares, on the other, the Goddess of Ghosts.

I flex my fingers, still not used to the leather gloves on my hands, but they conceal the swirling tattoos I can’t seem to get rid of. Every moment I look away, it crawls higher as if my distraction feeds it. The only warning I receive is a slight shiver as it moves higher up my hand. The designs covered my palm now, stopping just shy of my wrists. For some reason, this darkness refuses to obey me. I am its master, yet it continues to mark me without my consent. I’d even tried to expel all of my power, purging until I dropped from exhaustion, hoping it would take the tattoos with it. Nothing worked, and I will not ask Zeus for help. I would never hear the end of it.

So gloves it is. Hopefully, it never rises higher. Gloves were already strange enough for me. Covering my hands felt unnatural and drew attention to them. Though, the only personwho would notice the slight change has no idea who I am. My chest aches slightly, but I force myself not to rub at the phantom pain.

“You want to go back there?” Mellie shrieks, never stopping her pacing. Back and forth. Back and forth. A relaxing metronome of black and white. Scars and no scars.

“Yes,” I answer resolutely.

She snarls. “No. You said you’d listen to me last time. You said you’d leave with no hesitation. And what did you do? You fucking hesitated! And then I spiraled and ended up with that fucking asshole’s head between my legs! Which is your motherfucking fault!”

She’s lost me. I open my mouth, about to explain, but my mouth closes again. I can’t connect the points of her statement, no matter how I try.

“W-what?”

Mellie keeps pacing, and my brows furrow, trying to follow her train of thought. “Then he told me he’s falling for me! Again, it’s your fault because I spiraled! So no. We will not be dreamwalking again.”

I rub my brow, trying to figure out what she is talking about. “Helios said he’s falling for you?”

She spins on her heel, planting her feet to face me fully. “I cannot fuck Helios again. And I fucking hate this because my friend is gone, which leaves you as the only person I have to talk to about this shit. And you are the reason I keep fucking him!”

My lips twitch as I look into her dual-covered eyes. I’m normally good at reading people, and Melinoë’s emotions are plain as day on her face at the moment. “You’re falling for him, too.”

She snarls at me again, and for a moment, I’m pretty sure she is thinking about lunging at me, no doubt to claw my eyes out. She has a thing about eyes. The moments when she’s completelyunleashed her abilities, her victims almost always enucleate themselves.

She slams her hands on my desk, leaning forward. “You will not be dreamwalking again.”

To most, her stance would sponsor some kind of retreat. Not only am I not like most people, but I also have absolutely nothing to lose. She could take my eyes if she wanted. They’d grow right back.

“I will.” My eyes narrow on her. The truth won’t change even if she did attack me. “And you’ll still be in love with him. Even if I didn’t dreamwalk.”

Mellie fumes, about to turn and storm out. Her buns are quivering with her anger. She had no right to be angry. I stand, calling to her, my voice whipping across the space. “Do you enjoy that she’s in Olympus? That she’s trapped there?”

She whirls on me. “How fucking dare you!”

“Then present me with solutions!”

Mellie snarls. “What does dreamwalking do?”

I pause, my shoulders slumping slightly. “I get to see her.”

She doesn’t know who I am. I look into her eyes and see nothing. No recognition. As much as I need the contact, the situation feels doomed. How many times must we give all of ourselves to appease fate? How much do I have left?

I glance at my wrists, frowning when I see the darkness crawl up the edge of my gloves. Fuck. So it’s not just rage that makes it grow, but despair as well.

“One more shot,” Mellie sighs, drawing my attention. “And don’t invite Helios.”

I relax slightly and move around my desk, doing something I can’t recall ever doing. I hug Mellie. She stands completely still, arms at her sides. She goes completely rigid, not hugging me back.

“Whatever, dude. This isn’t necessary.”

Yet she doesn’t push me away, just standing in my arms. I know this is taking a toll on her, but I squeeze her for a second longer. “I know. I hate it, too.”

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