Page 132 of Bonds of Hercules
“Or were you waiting for themento handle it?” Kharon pointed across the table at my mentors. “And now you’re too afraid to do it yourself?”
There was nothing left of the man who’d knelt beside me in the pouring rain.
He was heartless.Brutal.
“I guess,” Kharon taunted wickedly, “you really are just anotherpatheticgirl who’s never had to do anything herself. It’s a real shame—the House of Hades lineage was wasted on the likes of you.” He pursed his lips and mimed rubbing away fake tears. “Poor little Alexis needs Patro and Achilles, the big, bad Spartan men to save her because she can’t do it herself and—”
A scream ripped from my throat.
Kharon and Augustus fell to their knees, shoulders shaking, foam dripping from their parted lips.
Even as they convulsed, they held my gaze, their smiles sad.
White stars danced as my vision tunneled, their pain mixed with mine, and I felt it all.
I was killing them.
And myself.
“That’s my woman,” Augustus praised softly, tears glimmering as he crawled forward. “We’re so—” he groaned “—fucking sorry for trapping you … in this marriage … Take your revenge,” he gasped. “Please.”
No.
Kharon gazed up at me with resignation. “I’m so sorry—” the tendons in his neck stood out as he also crawled “—I wasn’t good enough—” he coughed “—for you … wasn’t strong enough, or … what you wanted. You deserve … better.”
A tear streaked down my face.
The devils were on their knees—coming straight to me.
Groveling at my feet.
“I don’t deserve you,” Kharon mouthed as foam dripped from his quivering lips.
“You can be with them.” Augustus’s voice cracked as he collapsed onto his stomach. “Now.”
The agony receded.
Kharon face-planted next to Augustus and curled into the fetal position, gurgles and moans falling from his lips.
I breathed easier.
For the first time in months, my headache completely disappeared and the throbbing in my knee was gone.
Our bond was breaking.
They were dying.
Because of me.
Augustus cradled me against his chest as he carried me through the Roman streets. Kharon hovered over me, his left ear missing.
A broken sob ripped from my throat.
No.
I didn’t want this. I wanted tofeel.
I wanted to know when Kharon was pushing himself too hard, and I needed to live inside Augustus’s broken mind; I wanted them to talk to me; I wanted to know where the three of us were heading.
