Page 58 of The Queen & the King

“You didn’t even notice, did you?” Adonis laughs darkly. “No plants anywhere. Nothing to help the poor Goddess of Spring.”

I look around, noticing he is right, and I growl. Yes, I have powers without plants, but they boost and strengthen me. There is nothing here.

I thrash in his hold, but that only increases the pain. By struggling at the moment, I’m only hurting myself more. Adonis pulls me through a door and then slams it shut behind us before finally releasing my hair. He picks me up from the floor and tosses me onto a springy surface—a bed. Adonis moves like a viper, pinning me down.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

“Release me,” I demand.

Adonis pulls back and snarls. He slaps me across the face again, harder this time. The room spins, and I blink to clear it, but to no avail.

I’m vaguely aware of him straddling one of my thighs and unbuttoning his pants, but there seems to be two of him.

Fuck. Think, P.

The thick ichor is now trickling from my nose and my cheek. I can taste the coppery tang against my lips.

Adonis looks down at the dress. “Not a queen now. Just a whore.” He grabs the neckline of my dress and pulls, ripping it open. He smiles as he rakes his gaze over me greedily. It feels like acid slicking my skin.

I scream and slam my knee into his balls as hard as I can.

Adonis crumples and falls to the side, groaning and curling, trying to ease the pain. Even though the room is still spinning, I take the opportunity. I stumble off the bed and fall to my knees, struggling to get back to my feet as quickly as possible. My stomach rolls with nausea, and I blink, trying to clear my vision. I manage to stand and stumble to the door, yanking it open.

Tears fill my eyes and spill over, trailing down my cheeks. I take a few steps forward, but I am tackled to the ground. This time, my head cracks against the stone floor. Pain explodes in my head, and I feel more thick ichor escape from my body. The whole room is not only spinning now but vibrating, too. I don’t seem to be healing.

“Adonis! Stop!” I think I’m speaking, but I push all my energy into trying to wriggle free of him. Another surge of strength slams through me as I feel him shove my ruined dress up, the air hitting my ass.

“Shut up,” Adonis snarls.

Through the adrenaline and fuzziness in my head, I hear Hades’ voice.“Call me if you need me.”

“Get the fuck off me!” I scream, but inside my mind, I scream Hades’ name over and over.

Hades! Hades! Hades!

Suddenly, everything goes black, but not from my injuries. My inner strength completely overpowers me, and I feel something sharp beneath my skin, many small points, like spikes or thorns.

I scream once more, and then I unleash. My vision returns just in time to see large, sharp spines emerge from my skin and penetrate Adonis.

Thirty-Six

Hades

SHE WOULD BE SO DISAPPOINTED IN YOU.

Helios’ condemnation rings in my ears hours later. He was right. She would be so disappointed in me.

Alone in my bathroom, I inspect the swirling black tattoos that have encircled my eyes. I thought the darkness might have receded a bit more from my outburst, having allowed it to vent.

She would be so disappointed in you.

The swirls of black across my skin make my unglamored self appear even more demonic. It’s even crawled across the membranes of my wings and around my horns. How much longer do I have before it completely consumes me?

“Hades.”

I whirl in surprise at her voice.“Persephone?”I try to respond through our mental link, but I’m met with a solid wall of terror that keeps me out.

“Hades! Hades!”

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