Page 23 of Bonds of Hercules
“She leaptmultipletimes with a bullet wound,” Hades spat. “She staggered around our cellar disoriented and collapsed face-first against rocks. Her body was so weak from leaping that she bruised easily.”
There was an unnatural tenor to his voice. He looked almost … guilty.
“I need to see her.” I stepped to the side to see past him.
Hades moved with me. “Shedoesn’twant to see you.”
Inky tendrils of fog poured off him in an insidious stream.
Hundreds of voices screamed—“You’re a killer. A monster. No one could ever care for someone like you.”
Every mind that I’d tortured—tortured me back.
Alexis’s soft voice was the loudest of them all. “I hate you. You violated me. I will never love you. You will never be my husband.”
The pounding in my skull reached a fever pitch and my right knee almost gave out.
The voices shrieked louder.
“You’ve done enough damage to my daughter already.” Hades spoke my fears aloud.
His power wrapped around my neck in a noose—all warmth disappeared from the world—my breath came out in an icy cloud.
Frozen lips cracked as I parted them. “Ineedto be with her.”
It was getting harder to see.
“No—you need to leave her the fuck alone,” Hades said icily. “You’re a disgrace of a Spartan, and if it wasn’t for the bond between you and my precious daughter … I’d gut you right here.”
He shoved me across the hall.
CRACK.My head slammed against the wall—the pain added to my delirium.
Cerberus barked.
“Leave,” Hades ordered. “Now.”
You need to get to her.
I opened my mouth to argue, but all that came out was a pained grunt. Soon the migraine would progress, and I wouldn’t be able to see anything.
“I didn’t mean to hurt her,” I whispered. “I do care for her and—”
“Leave!” Hades roared.
High heels clicked across marble. “Hades?” Aphrodite called out from down the hall. “Unusual Titan presence has been sighted near Rome—Artemis has assigned you and Ares to investigate. Wait, Augustus—why the fuck aren’t you in the rec room with the others?”
“I’m heading there now,” I said hoarsely.
I waited for Hades to walk away first.
He didn’t.
“Leave,” Hades ordered, reading my intentions. “Now.”
I turned and staggered down the hall.
Ice nipped at my ankles as his power chased after me.
