Page 41 of Until Death
I turn on my heel to give him a hard look.
“Speak clearly.”
“You have not been here,” the pale god says, drawing closer. “You have not seen nor had to endure the atrocities that have been wrought upon us. We do what we must to survive, and we take what little pleasure we can from it. How could you, who does not have to answer to any king, understand?”
“I understand far better than you know.”
“Onlybecause of the girl, and only just a taste at that.”
Cerberus glances between us as my fists clench at my sides, but then I let out a ragged sigh. Again, Eros is not wrong. If it were not for Hazel, I could have gone the rest of eternity without visiting this hellhole.
Let alone allowing Hades any authority over my actions. If it were not for Hazel, I would have slaughtered him and half the court the moment he refused to open the gates.
And given what I have just learned, I still might, but I do not have time to argue this fact with Eros.
The gods and their lives here are none of my concern. Hazel is.
Turning, I storm off, forcing Eros and Cerberus to scramble to keep pace with me.
However begrudgingly.
Stepping into the city, the tension that has been left to brew is palpable. The streets are unusually empty as we move through them, and yet this does nothing to lessen the heaviness in the air.
I lift my gaze to fix it on the sapphire palace, my lip curling up over my teeth as I set off toward it, only to have Cerberus step into my path again.
“Get out of my way,” I growl.
“Listen,” he says, “you cannot simply storm into the palace.”
“I can, and I will—”
“Do youwanthim to kill her?”
“Of course not,” I snarl.
“Then give me a chance to find out what is happening.”
“No.”
“Unlike you, I can get into the palace without any questions being asked,” Cerberus hisses, placing the palm of his hand on my chest to stop me from moving around him. “Let me see what, if anything, he has done with the mortal, before you cause a bigger problem here than there already is.”
“You areloyalto Hades,” I say coldly. “Do not think I have forgotten this fact so easily. Why should I trust you to do anything of the sort?”
“I never said you should trust me,” he answers, sneering as he cocks his head to one side. “Besides you of all beings should know why that is. Still, if it helps, I swear on that very loyalty that I will do as I have said and return to you with whatever it is I find out.”
“Why?”
“Curiosity,” Cerberus says with a shrug. “I want to know for myself what kind of mortal is capable of bringing Death to his knees for her.”
“And after you find out whatever it is you wish to learn, what then?”
“I shall make my own decision when the time comes.”
“No.”
“Death,” Eros presses, “this may be the only way of rescuing her without casualty.”
“I do not care.”
