“Take me now, Zeus. Just kill me now. You know that’s the outcome that you want, anyway.”
“Empusa, no!” My mother stepped forward, her hand help up in caution. But too late. My mouth was already open and Zeus was listening.
“Kill you now?” he asked, his lip curling in thought. “Right now? But that would be so unfair. I revel in justice, moon princess.”
I swallowed my ire and walked to the edge of the clearing, standing almost nose to nose with the ancient god. Only the invisible wall separated us. I ignored my mother’s protests and Brennan’s calls from behind me.
“Kill me now,” I implored Zeus again. “Please.”
I held my hands palms up, signaling that I was not a threat. I was surrendering without a fight. Zeus smiled.
“While I appreciate the gesture, Empusa, killing you would be too easy. You need to figure out a way to die all on your own. But you need to hurry, time is ticking. If you don’t figure it out, I’m sure you will be overcome with temptation and will kill your lover. You don’t want that, do you?”
I stared into his cold silver eyes and I’d never hated someone so much. Anger filled me up in waves and I suddenly saw red. My fury burst several trees that were still standing around the clearing into flames. I thrust my hands into the wall. I had almost reached Zeus, I could feel the thick material of his clothing, when I was thrown backward with unfathomable force.
I hit the opposite wall on the other side of the clearing and slid to a crumpled heap on the ground. I saw a fuzzy outline of Brennan kneeling over me, murmuring to me, but I couldn’t understand his words.
Then there was blackness.
Twenty-Four
I opened my eyes.
Was I dead?
I was in a shadowy place; dark and safe. There was no sound but for a faint trickling of water. I couldn’t see its source. I was lying amid grass and wildflowers and freesia. There was a garden to my left, filled with violet blossoms on long, flowing vines. The night fell on my skin like velvet, like the softest silk. I sighed, half in resignation and half in relief.
I must be dead.
“No, you’re not.” Hades’ smooth voice came from nowhere and everywhere. He stepped out from behind a willow tree and was beside me in a millisecond. His dark hair hung just-so over his eye and he flipped it away casually.
“Where am I then?” I asked, looking around once more. “Am I in the Underworld?”
He shook his head. “No. We’re in your mind. You summoned me. You’ve managed to tap into your immortal strength and break the barriers that Zeus built around your abilities.”
“How did I do that?” I asked. “And if we’re in my mind, then my body must still be in the clearing. We’re at an impasse. What will I do?”
I couldn’t believe I was asking Hades for advice. But truly, I didn’t know what else to do. I was at a loss and I was so ready for it to end.
“You got angry,” he shrugged. “You caused another forest fire. Zeus threw you across the clearing where you hit your head. You’re now unconscious, but you broke the mental barrier surrounding you. When you awake, you can finish this.”
“But how?” I whispered. “I don’t know how.”
“Yes, you do,” Hades insisted quietly. He stepped closer to me and I felt his normal charismatic pull. It made me want to step closer to him, to allow him to comfort me. It was like being sucked into a magnetic vortex. He smiled at my thought.
“I’m glad your views about me are changing,” he commented wryly. “At least you now acknowledge that I might have a few redeeming qualities.”
“I’ve never doubted that,” I answered carefully. “What I doubt are your motivations.”
Hades threw back his head and laughed, his hair shiny in the dark. There was a moon here and I reveled in its energy, watching it shimmer across my arm. I sighed again.
“Empusa, you are my child, a child after my own heart. Surely you can see now what Zeus is capable of. I will stand with you. Come with me- take your rightful place by my side in the Underworld. All you have to do is awaken and finish this.”
I was suddenly considering the inconsiderable.
It didn’t seem so bad to me now, a life in the serene quiet of the Underworld. Perhaps Gaia had been right. Maybe my magic would eventually become even stronger than Zeus’… which meant that I would always be in danger until I learned to stand up for myself. For that, I would need an alliance.
“And so you have one,” Hades answered my thought, bowing slightly at his trim waist. “I’m at your service.”
Staring into his eyes, I knew it was the only thing I could do. And oddly enough, rather than feel trapped, I felt at peace. Comfortable. It felt right, like it was where I belonged.
Hades smiled and held out his hand. I took it, grasping his long fingers as he leaned forward and kissed my forehead lightly.
“Awaken, daughter,” he murmured. “Finish this so that you can begin your new life.”
“And Brennan?” I asked softly, my eyes trained upon my father’s.
“You’ll bring him, of course,” Hades answered simply. “And we’ll exact revenge upon Zeus and Mormo for everything they’ve done to you.”
Satisfaction welled up in me and I nodded.
“Awaken,” Hades said again.
So I did.
I opened my eyes and I instantly felt differently than before. I was stronger, that much was true, but it was a mental strength that buoyed me. I knew it immediately. Brennan crouched beside me, holding my hand. He was worried and as beautiful as he’d ever been. My stomach tightened with the love I felt for him.
“Empusa,” he breathed. “You’re alright?”
I nodded.
“How long have I been out?”
“A few minutes,” he answered.
I glanced around him.
“They’re gone,” he told me. “Something is different. What happened?”
“I’ll explain later,” I answered. “For now, we both need to be as strong as possible.” I lowered my voice to a mere whisper in his ear. “You’re going to will us into the Underworld, alright?”
He pulled away and stared at me. “I don’t know if I can,” he said uncertainly. “I haven’t mastered that yet. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
“You’re going to try your absolute best,” I whispered. “And I know that you can do it. But first, we need to be at our strongest. We have to act soon before this eclipse kills us both.”
Brennan glanced overhead at the red ring of the sun.
“Zeus said before he left that the mortal world was going to be affected soon. Crops would begin to die from absence of light. The tides would stop moving because of the absence of the moon. He also said that the absence of tides and light would trigger the fault lines to begin moving. We’re going to cause an apocalypse after all, I’m afraid.”
“No, we’re not,” I replied bitterly. “Zeus is. We aren’t doing this. We’re not taking responsibility for it.”
Pulling him down beside me, I twisted around until I was straddling him. Bending, I kissed him, softly at first and then more fiercely. His mouth tasted like honey. He groaned and pulled me to him, his hands clutching at my back.
“Let me see your wrist,” I whispered against his mouth. I pulled my own to my mouth and bit, breaking the skin. I offered it to him. “We have to,” I told him. “It doesn’t matter anymore what we hurt or if we stay in control. It really doesn’t matter. Drink now and restore your strength. We can do this, Brennan.”
“I trust you,” he told me, his amber gaze frozen on my own.
Without hesitation, he drank from my wrist. I could feel the blood gushing in my arm toward his mouth. I picked up his wrist and drank as well. Just as it had happened last time, it happened again. As our blood mingled and mixed, I felt an overwhelming sense of strength and power. It surged in my veins, filling me up in swells. The sensations that coursed through me were almost unbearable, they were so st
rong and fierce.
Brennan stopped drinking and looked up at me, his eyes slightly unfocused as my blood streaked down his chin.
“This is incredible,” he uttered. I nodded, unable to speak, unable to stop drinking his oh-so-succulent blood. He was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. He was the sun and the earth and everything pure and good in the world. And I so wanted every bit of him inside of me.
Without another thought, without even thinking it through, I dropped his wrist and kissed him again, hard. His mouth tasted metallic, like my blood, mixed with his own sweet taste. I plunged my tongue into his mouth and his hands were suddenly everywhere. He needed me as much as I needed him.
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t see.
I couldn’t think.
All I knew was that every cell in my body needed this man. I needed to touch him, taste him, feel him, consume him.
Now.
I took a ragged breath and stripped off my clothes. His heat enveloped me and I ripped his shirt to remove it. His skin pressed against mine and I could no longer form any coherent thought. I knew that the Olympians could see, but I suddenly didn’t care. All rational thoughts faded away as the colors of the rainbow exploded around us as our auras materialized to me. Normally, this would be where I stopped, where I forced my hands to still so that I didn’t take Brennan’s soul.
But today, I felt stronger than I ever had when I really should be at my weakest because of the eclipse. I didn’t know what internal well I was drawing from, but I wasn’t going to question it.
I kissed Brennan, all of the fire in my veins transferring into my kiss as I bit his lip.
“I want you,” I told him hoarsely. “Right now.”
From the corner of my eye, I could see the trees on fire again and the oranges and yellows of the flames swirled into the colors our auras. My own fire raged within me and I innately knew that only one thing could quench it. And at this particular juncture, we didn’t have anything to lose anyway.
Brennan’s hands were everywhere, his breath on my skin. His tongue licked the soft skin of my neck, right before he bit. He drank more of my blood before dragging his mouth to mine. I felt weak with wanting him, but stronger than I’d ever felt at the same time. We were meant to be one. It was as natural to us as breathing. It was what we were both racing toward now. There was no turning back.
Suddenly, his fingers found the most sensitive part of me and I cried out. The intense pleasure overtook me and the solid granite altar beside us crumpled into rubble from the burst of energy. My cheeks were flushed and hot, my breaths panted raggedly. Brennan’s hands were on my back, my legs, my breasts. And where his fingers touched, his mouth quickly followed suit. Only one thing mattered now.
Only.
One.
Thing.
I pulled Brennan to me and I could feel his hardness, his maleness, his need for me. It was overwhelming, earth shattering, mind bending. I struggled to breathe and everything was a blur. We were moving, but I couldn’t define it anymore. I couldn’t control it or myself. And then suddenly, before I knew it, we were physically one.
I gasped and Brennan cried out.
In that one moment, with Brennan inside me, I had never felt more complete or at peace. I arched against Brennan as he moved in the ancient, old-as-time rhythm and I felt tears slipping down my cheeks. Sadness didn’t move me, an uncontrollable happiness did. There had never been anything so right in my entire life. Why had I resisted it for so long?
We moved toward an unseen precipice and I braced for what would come. It built up and built up and as Brennan exploded within me, so did the sky above us. Colors and pops and cracks and supersonic booms came from every direction and suddenly, the sky was on fire.
We froze and watched in wonder for several minutes as the sky burned.
And then, as the clouds and smoke moved and parted, we saw the sun and the moon separate, moving back into their rightful places in the sky. The eclipse was over. Our power, the energy that we had created together, had torn the eclipse apart.
I collapsed onto Brennan’s damp chest and cried…from happiness, from relief, from love. He held me close and whispered sweetly to me, cradling me against him. Whatever happened to us next almost didn’t matter.
“Use your will now,” I whispered to him. “Take us to the Underworld, Bren. We’ll never be stronger than we are right now.”
The last thing I saw before I closed my eyes was the sky opening up and the Olympians descending upon us. Then we were gone.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I had never been as comfortable as I was right now.
I came to that realization as I stirred, as I slowly regained consciousness. I opened my eyes and found that I was wrapped in red silk bedding, situated in the middle of a massive, soft bed. Ebony bedposts as thick as my body framed each of the four corners and billowy gauze floated above me.
Brennan sat in a chair next to me. He was clean and shaven, and was dressed in linen trousers and a white silk shirt. He practically glowed with his own brand of health and beauty. His eyes lit up when he saw that mine were open.
“Empusa,” he smiled. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been asleep for a thousand years,” I admitted, moving my arms gingerly. “How long has it actually been?”
“A few days,” he said quietly, pulling my hand to his lips. “Our strength was completely drained. I slept for a solid day, myself. But I’m awake now and I feel better than ever. Do you feel better?”
I considered that. I stretched each of my hands, then my legs. I felt strong. My mind was sharp. I seemed to have made a full recovery from the effects of the eclipse. To be honest, I hadn’t felt so good in a long time.
“And Zeus?” I asked hesitantly.
“Seriously pissed off,” Brennan confirmed. “There’s a storm brewing now, Empusa. But we’re together and we’re both alive. Hades tells me that the game has changed. Your significance has changed everything.”
“Yes, indeed it has,” Hades added as he glided into the room. Everything about him was so fluid, so polished. So refined.
“I knew from the moment that I first saw you that you were special, Empusa,” he continued, as he poured nectar into a sparkling goblet and handed it to me. “I just didn’t know how significant you would actually become. I do believe that you will be the key that will change everything.”
“Well, no pressure, or anything,” I mumbled sarcastically. Hades smiled at me, his teeth bright white in the cool darkness of my bedroom.
“Do you like your rooms?” he asked casually. To be honest, I hadn’t looked at them. From my bed, I could see silken tapestries, thick woolen rugs, chandeliers, mahogany, gold. He had certainly spared no expense in decorating.
“You also have a sitting room and a Greek bathing room,” he added. “If anything isn’t to your taste, simply let Persephone know and it will be changed at once.”
“Persephone?” I raised an eyebrow. “How does she feel about my presence here? I’m assuming we’re in your palace.”
“Of course we are,” he confirmed. “And Persephone loves guests. Although, you aren’t a guest, of course. This is your home. Please treat it as such.”
“Where are Brennan’s rooms?” I asked.
“Right next to yours,” Brennan interrupted. “In fact, they adjoin.”
“You seem to have thought of everything,” I told Hades. He shrugged.
“I try.”
“What will happen now?” I asked. “If Zeus is angry, there will be hell to pay. We outmaneuvered him. He won’t stand for it.”
“Of course not,” Hades agreed. “Only the time has come that perhaps he will have no choice. You are a game-changer, daughter. And I think Zeus knows it.”
“I never asked to be a game-changer,” I pointed out. “And where’s my mother?”
“Well, whether you asked for it or not, it is what you are,” he answered. “And your mother i
s gone. The second that Brennan willed you here, your mother disappeared. I’m sure she is safe. In fact, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she doesn’t turn up here very soon. She certainly won’t stand on Zeus’ side. Not now.”
“Zeus’ side?” Brennan asked. “You talk like there will be a war.”
“Of course there will be,” Hades answered, completely unconcerned. “Finally.”
He was pleased. Brennan and I could both see that. I found that I was actually indifferent. I didn’t care about angering Zeus any longer. As long as my mother was free of his hold, it no longer concerned me- not as long as Brennan and I were together.
“So be it,” I replied carelessly. “It matters not.”
“Of course it doesn’t matter,” Hades agreed. He pulled the covers back on the bed and pulled me to my feet. “You look well rested, daughter. We must feast this evening, in your honor.”
“I cannot eat here…” I began out of habit. And then I caught myself. This was now my home.
“You are princess here,” Hades reminded me. “You can come and go as freely as you would like.”
“And Brennan?” I asked expectantly.
“Brennan will enjoy the same freedoms once he is your husband,” Hades answered.
Brennan’s eyes snapped to mine and held in an unwavering gaze.
“Married?” I breathed.
“Of course. Once you are tied together, he will enjoy the same freedoms and privileges as you.”
“And until we’re married?”
“Until then, he will be as any other person who enters the Underworld,” Hades said matter-of-factly. “If you choose to not get married, Brennan must drink from the river Leche to forget his mortal life and he will remain here. I’m sorry, Empusa, but I’m sure you know that I am a very fair god. Rules for one apply to all. I can treat Brennan no differently. But that doesn’t concern you, does it? Weren’t you planning to marry?”
Were we? Brennan had asked once upon a time, but so much had happened that it hadn’t even crossed my mind in so long. We were together. That was all that mattered to me. Making it official wasn’t a concern.
Soul Bound (The Moonstone Saga (Book 2)) Page 16