Page 56 of Blood of Hercules
He laughed darkly.
At least Satan finds me funny.
His insults got meaner, but I sighed with relief as the cloth cooled my fevered flesh. He dragged it softly across my face, like I was made of glass.
Darkness twisted.
“I’m glad you’re back, but what are you going to do?” a harsh, raspy male voice asked.
There was a long pause, then another voice said, “She’ll perform for us—we’ll make sure of it.”
“Good fucking luck. A pathetic waif like her?” There was a dark, raspy laugh. “You’re gonna need my help.”
The other man sighed and muttered, “You’re a lucky bastard already being a general, not having to deal with this bullshit.”
I drifted away.
A piano played in another room, and the haunting melodyresonated like honey. Tears gathered in my eyes. It was so beautiful. The music vibrated through me and chased away the nightmares.
Time passed.
“Nero, Poppae, stop growling at her. Really—you’re going to ignore me?”
I dreamed of falling from the clouds.
Plummeting.
Right before I hit the ground, a faceless man caught me. He was cruelly beautiful with stunning blue eyes—it was death again.
A fallen angel.
He placed his thumb roughly against my tongue. Fingers gripped my chin and kept my mouth open as they put pills in my mouth. He tilted my head back and tipped water down my throat.
I choked and sputtered.
“Go—to—hell,” I coughed as I tried to open my watery eyes.
The thumb dragged out of my mouth. “Where do you think I came from, carissima?”
A deep, raspy chuckle echoed as sleep pulled me back under.
Two animals growled, and the sound was deep and vicious.Otherworldly.
A tall figure hovered over me.
“Charlie?” I asked. “You—here too?”
The voice muttered something about fools, and I tried to reply, but the dreams pulled me away.
A piano played.
I woke up with tears leaking out of my eyes.
In the dark, I sat up gasping, covered in sweat. A breeze caressed my skin, and I flopped back with my eyes closed, unable to hold myself up.
My vision unfocused.
Voices whispered.
