Page 130 of Hades' Shadow
“This is how you go through this damn orchard. We aren’t taking any more chances with you,” Jayden bites out angrily and shoves Adrian forward.
I loop my arm around Raven’s and pull her along with me. Every time she reaches out to grab something, I swat her hand away.
“No touching. Don’t make me zap you.” I bat her hand away from another tree.
Adrian struggles against Jayden’s shadows but he’s too weak to get out of Jayden’s hold.
“Jayden, man, you need to let me go. I’m dying here,” Adrian pleads.
“Not until we are out of the orchard and your brain is back on line.” Jayden shakes his head.
“How much farther?” I ask. “This is getting a bit ridiculous.”
I slap Raven’s hand away from another tree.
“Ow, Beth,” Raven whines. “I just want a pomegranate.”
“No, you can have all the pomegranates when we get back to the mortal world,” I say as I slap her again.
Hades, this is fucking hard. We need to get the hell out of here.
My stomach cramps again and I nearly double over.
“Beth,” Jayden says. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I say through gritted teeth.
“We are almost there,” Jayden whispers and rubs a hand over my back.
“Thank the gods,” I mumble.
We walk for a while longer when the wind shifts and sweat streaks down my brow.
“Did it get suddenly hotter?” I ask, wiping my forehead.
“I think we are getting closer to the river,” Jayden says.
“Thank the fates. I can’t handle much more of this,” I groan, slapping Raven again.
When we break through the trees, I breathe a huge sigh of relief. Raven turns to stare longingly at the orchard, but I pull her back.
“C’mon. Hopefully, you will come back to your senses the farther away we get from the orchard.” I pull her along.
“I think I’ll be okay.” Raven shakes her head.
She squares her shoulders and straightens her spine.
“Are you sure? It was pretty intense,” I say.
“Yup, all good, B,” Raven says with a nod.
“Adrian, how are you?” I ask.
He shakes his head and his eyes widen as he glances over to Jayden. “Why are you restraining me with shadows?”
“You don’t remember?” I ask.
“You were completely out of it in there. You almost ate underworld food.” Jayden releases Adrian from his shadows.
