Page 75 of To Ashes and Dust
Damien turned to me when there appeared to be no sign of Eris, his hands shaking as he held me. “Are you ok?”
I didn’t know how to answer. I felt so weak, so tired, I couldn’t even bring myself to stand. “I-I think so...”
“You’re lucky to be alive, little goddess.”
My gaze jerked to the source of the deep voice echoing off the stone walls, dripping with such power I almost forgot how to speak. His sea foam eyes passed over me, tan skin as unblemished and smooth as Selene’s. He swept back his onyx curls before kneeling beside us, and the power contained in his massive body washed over me.
Damien tensed when the man grew closer, as if he were preparing to do whatever it took to protect me. Was he bad? What was he doing here? What werewedoing here? How did we get here? My mind raced, memory clouded and unclear beyond the medical room at The Complex.
“When did you first notice Eris’ presence?” the man asked.
I snapped back to the present. How did he know about that? “I...” I glanced at Damien, who nodded that it was safe to speak to him. “I didn’t know it was her until just a few days ago... but I’ve felt her since I was held captive by Marcus.”
Damien’s gaze snapped to me, a horrified look on his face. “That long?”
I swallowed and nodded, my eyes faltering. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t tell you. I was afraid of what she’d do.”
“What did you mean, Eris manipulated Marcus?” Selene asked, turning to look at me.
Damien’s eyes remained fixated on me, just as eager for an answer.
“I... I think she corrupted him. Damien told me something changed in him after he lost his mate. I saw him in Damien’s memories. He’d been a completely different person from the Marcus I knew.”Knew. The thought felt like poison in my mind. I knew him all right, more than I cared to acknowledge. I knew every twisted thing he had the potential to do to a person. Or... had I? It wasn’t the true him I’d known, but the twisted corruption Eris had woven into his mind over the last century. He’d been held captive, just as I had.
Selene considered my words for a moment, her pale eyes lowering to the marble floors.
“It definitely sounds like something she would do,” the man said, turning his face to me. My brows furrowed as I met his gaze. “Apologies. My name is Erebus. I am an ally of Selene’s.”
He gave a soft bow of his head, and his smile lit up those rich, sea foam eyes.
“Erebus is the God of Darkness,” Damien explained, eyes fixed on the man. “He’s the one who offered shadow magic to Selene when she created our race.” I couldn’t help but notice a hint of hostility in Damien’s voice. Did he consider Erebus an enemy? I vaguely remember Eris calling him Father after I woke, but where had he come from? Was he here when we arrived?
Erebus didn’t seem phased by Damien’s tone, his eyes so piercing, I had to look away.
“Forgive me for staring. I’m intrigued by you, little goddess.” I could almost feel his eyes roaming over me, and I stiffened. “You are unlike other demigods, for you have the combined gifts of many of our kind. One might say you could be the future of the Elythian race. Any god would be an unstoppable force with you at their side.”
Damien’s lips peeled back, revealing his fangs, and... God, his eyes. They’d become crystalline, the amber in the center of the ashen silver burning like embers. His pupils contracted and expanded at the slightest movements. I gripped Damien’s sleeve, and his hand raised to cover mine in acknowledgement.
“Do not fret, Lord of Shadows. I do not intend to steal your mate,” Erebus said, a coy grin spreading across his face as he rose. “I do not force my servants to stand at my side.” His eyes settled on me again, that smile remaining, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. “They come willingly.”
Selene paced, her gown shifting and gliding over her body with each movement, the light of the blue flames reflecting off the shimmering fabric. “Did you learn anything else from Eris?”
I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn’t come, and I had to think through everything. “She... visited me in a dream last night.”
Damien’s eyes fell from Erebus, frowning as he turned to meet my gaze. “The dream you didn’t want to go back into...”
I nodded, painfully aware of how much I hated that I hadn’t been able to talk to him about it. “I didn’t get much out of her; she was closely guarded. She was helping stabilize my body while I learned my abilities.”
“She was helping you?” Damien asked in disbelief.
“Yeah. I don’t understand why she’d want to help me, though,” I muttered, eyes falling to the marble floor, littered with jasmine blossoms. A thought crossed my mind, and I looked back at him. “She did let something slip.”
Selene’s white brows rose, her head tilting as she waited for me to continue.
“She wanted Marcus dead. I don’t know why.”
Damien’s eyes lowered as he considered the possibilities. “Maybe he knew something.”
“I don’t know...” Any knowledge Marcus might’ve had on Eris died with him. There was no getting that information now.
