Page 95 of The Queen & the King

I look at my mother, and my heart breaks for what we could have had. She could have been a mom to me. We could have been friends, but she was so desperate to hold me close and hide me from the world that I ended up resenting her.

I should hate her, and a major part of me does. But another part of me, that scared little girl who always yearned for a mother who loved her unconditionally, still exists, and now that I’m here, looking at her spirit, I don’t have any words for her.

“I just wanted to keep you safe,”she says after a moment, her eyes tortured and regretful.

I wait for the anger. I wait for the hate -filled words to come to me, but they never do because she lost. She lost me in more ways than one. Now, I’m home with the husband that she stole me from, and she died knowing that I would always choose this life over one with her. That is far more cutting than any words I could muster.

I lift my chin, finally affording her one truth from me. “I forgive you,”I say, and I do. She locked me away and stole centuries of my life. It ends now. She is dead, and so is my resentment toward her. I fucking won.

“You don’t. Not really,”she replies, searching my eyes.

“I do.”

Her eyes fill with tears.“I wanted you safe, and now you’re not. You never will be again.”

“You’re wrong.”I tilt my head, watching her.“I am with my husband, who loves me more than the realms themselves. I am not a naïve little girl. I am strong. I am powerful. I am enough.”

A tear slides down my mother’s cheek, and she reaches out, sliding her hand into mine.“I’m sorry.”

I feel my own eyes fill with tears, and I squeeze her hand. “I know.”

She looks at me, smiling through the tears, and it’s the first genuine smile I think I’ve ever seen from her.

“My powerful girl,”she whispers, squeezing my hand again before she fades away.

Gaia places a gentle hand on my shoulder, smiling down at me. “Now. Let go, Persephone.”

I close my eyes, and my head tilts back as I feel Gaia’s power draining out of me and returning to the ground. My body tingles as it leaves, my own power filling all the gaps it’s vacated.

“Be free, little dark flower,”Gaia whispers.

I exhale as the last morsel of her power drains from me, and then everything goes black.

I wake moments later,my eyes fluttering open to see Hades’ concerned gaze searching my face, his hand against my cheek as he cradles me in his lap.

Fuck, I love this man.

Hades searches my eyes and exhales, leaning in and burying his nose into my hair. “Fuck. You’re back.”

I cover his hand and lean my cheek against his palm, luxuriating in being surrounded by him. “Hi, demon.”

Hades kisses my face, trying not to miss even an inch of skin. “You smell like you. Fuck.”

I run my hands over his chest and arms, anywhere I can reach, needing to touch him everywhere. I want to merge with him and never be separated from him again.

“You’re here,” he repeats, nuzzling me, his tears wetting my cheek. My poor demon. I pull back, looking up at him and tunneling my fingers into his hair.

“Did you kill her?” Hades whispers, looking down at me, his face settled into an expression of complete awe.

I shake my head, staring at him. Will I ever get tired of just looking at him?

“Then how?” he asks, his hands roaming over me.

“Kronos.”

I feel him tense beneath me, and his hands become more insistent as he checks me for injuries.

“He barely touched me, baby.” I try to ease his concerns, but he simply pulls me into him, squeezing me so hard I can practically feel the relief radiating off him.

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