Page 70 of Until Death
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Hazel
As I lay on the ground, gasping for air, rage pours from Hades in heavy waves as he paces the room yet again.
I can feel blood seeping down my arm from the cuts the crystal has made, and my throat aches from Hades’ grip. I try to push myself up, but the pain in my ribs and the cuts on my skin make it nearly impossible as I let out a small whimper.
Another mistake.
His eyes flicker to me, and unable to stop himself, he bursts into blue flames. Despite the glass scattered on the ground, I do my best to scramble further away from the flames and the man as he takes a step toward me.
He lets out a low growl of anger as he reaches for me, his fingers just grazing my arm before I’m out of his reach. Pain makes my movements slow as I climb to my feet, swaying on my legs. He moves toward me again and I dodge him as I hurry to put more space between us, nearly tripping over myself in the process.
Again, his snarl fills the air as I do my best to keep my distance.
My eyes dart toward the door but the claws have long since fallen quiet. I am alone in here, the door locked, and Death none the wiser to my current plight.
I have no hope of anyone being able to get to me.
I’ve been such a fool.
Swallowing my dread, I reach for courage. I haven’t come this far to just give up now, or let Hades end me like this.
Not without a fight.
My steps are shaky as I do my best to keep a wide berth between myself and the bright blue flames that are Hades. He continues to stalk toward me though, almost seeming to enjoy the chase.
After all, in the end, there’s nowhere for me to go. I’m trapped here with him, and each time he lunges and misses, I feel the tension between us grow. Minutes begin to slip by, and I’m starting to wonder just how long I can keep this up.
The blood has started to dry on my skin, caking it, and I wince as I glance at the shards of glass that still protrude from my arms.
“Please,” I gasp. “Spare me, please.”
Hades lets out a low snort at this.
He’s obviously not interested in my pleas let alone offering me mercy as he stalks closer, once more nearly catching me as I barely manage to slip through his fingers. Exhaustion and terror are weighing heavily on me as I move.
Again, I fear that I can’t keep this up for much longer.
After several more attempts to catch me, Hades lets out a growl before stalking away from me. For a moment, relief floods me. Until he turns to look at me with a wicked grin on his face, his blue flames flickering dangerously around him.
"You are a fighter, I will give you that," he says, circling me like a predator as he reaches for something just out of my line of sight. "But you should have known better than to cross me.”
I don’t see what he grabs until he pulls a helmet over his head, and suddenly vanishes into thin air … plunging me into darkness as all the candles flicker out.
Horror slices through me as my gaze jumps about the room, but the blue flames that alerted me to his movements are now gone. I have no idea where he’s gone.
My heart thunders in my ears as I take several steps back, desperately trying to guess where he might be. I try to quiet my breathing in an effort to listen for footsteps, but it’s impossible to hear anything besides the pounding of my own heart.
Then I feel the heat of his breath on the back of my neck as invisible fingers wrap around my shoulder.
I shriek, turning out of his grip as I stumble backward, tripping over my own feet in the process. Landing hard on the floor, my eyes widen as Hades appears directly above me. His feet planted on either side of me, he tosses the helmet to one side as he stares down at me with a wicked grin.
“Please,” I gasp shaking my head.
His lip curls up in a sneer as he reaches for me, his fingers cutting into my arms as they push several shards of glass that much deeper into my skin. Hades pulls me to my feet, unbothered by the way I wince and gasp in pain from his touch.
Fear grips my heart as he drags me across the room and toward his massive bed, covered in dark silk sheets.
