Page 82 of Touch of Death
“We have to find her,” I say. “Now.”
Death nods once as I move to shift again.
Leaving my human form behind, I welcome the heightened senses of this form. With my nose in the air, I search for her scent before taking off into the forest after it. I can feel Death following behind me, chasing after her as his shadows crash alongside me.
With each step that she takes, I can sense her shifting to another location. The forest bending and twisting as it helps her evade us and make her escape. This never-ending forest of madness slowly stealing her further and further away.
The Fates themselves would have to be on her side for her to escape here on her own. And knowing them, I fear that there is not enough luck left in all the realms to save her.
I push myself to move faster, determined to get to her before she is lost to us. Death is just behind me the entire way, following at each turn and every change in direction.
With each step, the forest seems more determined than ever to lose her. I will not allow it to steal her away from me.
Suddenly, I sense a shift.
Her scent changes from something pleasant to one reeking of emotion. To something drowned in absolute horror and pain.
She is no longer moving.
Panic flares through me as I turn and bolt off toward her, finally able to hone in on her location.
My heart pounding, I move toward her with all the speed I have, Death trailing just a few seconds behind me.
35
Hazel
One moment, I’m crashing through the dark forest, and the next, I find myself stumbling out of the tree line just beside the locked gates of the Underworld.
I blink in confusion as I try to make sense of what just happened. I glance about, but I’m alone.
Well, at least alone on this side of the gates.
Cerberus is nowhere to be seen, but on the other side of the gates, my eyes catch on something that has my heart nearly stopping in my chest. I take a step back, attempting in vain to put distance between myself and what I’m looking at.
Souls wander about aimlessly, waiting to be let into the Underworld. They don’t seem to notice me as I stand here, chest heaving as I watch them through the gates.
Finally, I brave a step closer, allowing my curiosity to pull me toward them. Wondering if they are as lost as I was when I first arrived.
Searching their faces my gaze suddenly catches as my heart skips a beat in my chest. Taking another step forward, I freeze, my mind blanking as I try to process what I’m seeing.
It’s my father.
My heart goes still in my chest as I watch him wandering about with the other souls. In a blink, I feel as though my entire world has come crumbling down.
Behind me, I can just make out the sounds of a large beast crashing toward me, but I don’t care.
I don’t even turn to look. I’m too numb to react or do anything but stare at my father’s soul. A soul that’s still oblivious to my presence on the other side of the gates.
Even as I catch a flash of white out of the corner of my eye as a giant creature bursts out of the dark forest, I don’t so much as flinch.
“Kill me,” I whisper.
Let me be done with this world of lies.
Turning toward it, I watch as, at the last moment, the beast shifts into the form of Eros. He opens his arms to me, and I stumble toward him, finally breaking out of my trance.
Tears stream down over my cheeks as he catches me, wrapping his arms around me. Eros pulls me close, holding me tightly to his chest as I sob into him. His hands smooth my hair as he attempts to calm me down enough to understand what’s happened.
