Zealot (Hidden: Soulhunter Book 3)

by Colleen Vanderlinden

  Quinn arrived, and together, the thirteen of us started attacking Persephone’s monsters, fighting alongside the rest of the immortals and their allies. I also noted the presence of the local shifter packs. I was pretty sure the silvery wolf I saw leaping at one of Persephone’s monsters was Jamie, alpha of the Detroit shifter pack. A large number of other wolves fought nearby. And, surprise of all surprises, Morpheus and Phobetor fought, back to back, against another of Persephone’s creations.

  The monsters just kept coming. Persephone had to be stopped, or this would go on forever. Rows upon rows of abominations, some large and some small, but all deadly, all with teeth and claws, or with the ability to spew fire or acid, formed rings around their creator, effectively walling her off from those who wanted to destroy her.

  By now, our presence had been noticed.

  “E!” I heard Nain shout, and then Mollis/Nether turned and looked toward me. She ran toward me, and I saw in her eyes the moment Nether let Mollis have control back. I went to her, and we met in the middle of what was, without a doubt, the largest, most insane battle I have ever seen. A true war of gods and monsters. It was too much, even for me, to wrap my mind around.

  “E,” Mollis said, and I saw that she was crying. “What the fuck is this?” she asked, gesturing at my ghostly body.

  “This was the price,” I said. “The world is free of the undead,” I said, realizing the souls had no more to turn over to me or my New Guardians to destroy. “Her only remaining requirement is that I bring her Persephone.”

  “And then what?”

  “This is my life now, demon girl. I belong to the Old Nether.”

  “No. Fuck that,” she began, and I held a hand up.

  “I do not have much time. I need to finish this. If this was the price of keeping the world alive and all of you safe, I will pay it.”

  My eyes slid toward where my husband still fought. He was very clearly out of control, if he had not yet registered my presence or that of his parents.

  “And what about him, E?” Mollis asked quietly.

  “He is strong.” I could not let myself say anything else. I was already on the precipice, ready to fall apart. Seeing him this close, feeling his energy… I felt parts of me breaking, when I had been so sure that I was already completely broken.

  She regarded me silently, then gave a tiny nod. I glanced at Brennan, then forced myself to look away. I could not fight the rage and sadness building up inside me again. I knew seeing him would be hard. I did not expect that it would shred my heart and leave me feeling empty, lost, as if I were drifting and there was nothing left to hold onto.

  If this was what it felt like to lose someone a second time, it would maybe be best for all if he did not feel this. I steeled myself.

  “One last time, side by side, demon girl?” I asked.

  “One last time,” she repeated. “I love you, E.”

  “I love you too. Now can we please go destroy her before I start crying again?”

  Mollis let out a short, hoarse laugh and nodded. My New Guardians and our enormous army of souls were behind us. I waved my arm forward, and we moved, surging, flowing over and across the monsters that stood between us and Persephone. The souls could do little more than land the occasional light blow against the monsters, but that, multiplied by millions, was enough of a distraction to allow the immortals and their allies to quickly work their way through the throngs of Persephone’s creations.

  I fought, and watched for a gap in Persephone’s shield of abominations. And every once in a while, I shot a glance toward where I heard the roars and growls I would recognize anywhere. My husband hunted and killed, lost in his grief and desire for vengeance. His parents guarded his flanks, cut down those monsters who thought to attack him from behind. He still seemed to have no idea they were there, lost as he was in his anger and grief.

  I could not leave him like that. If I ended this quickly enough, I could take a moment. A goodbye, a moment of closure. I could give him that.

  And then, with the destruction of one of the acid-spewing wolves that formed Persephone’s inner ring of protection, a gap opened up. I did not think. I did not hesitate. I ran for it at full speed and crashed into the former Lady of the Nether. We fell to the ground, and once I got my bearings, I did the first thing I could think of.

  I punched her, as hard as I could. I landed a solid punch to her face and felt something give beneath my fist as blood gushed from her nose.

  She tried to call for her monsters, but I punched her again. A few of them noticed that their creator was in danger, and turned toward us, ready to attack me, but then my New Guardians and Mollis and Nain were there, fighting them back, giving me the time and space I needed to do what needed to be done.

  She fought me. She punched, and kicked and scratched and, in the end, she tried to run. But Persephone never was a fighter, which was why she’d needed an army of nightmarish creatures to protect her and fight for her when the time had finally come.

  I tackled her to the ground one more time, holding her down, keeping a hand on her at all times so she could not rematerialize and escape her punishment.

  “You will pay,” I said hoarsely. She stopped struggling and looked up at me. Tears were running down her face.

  “Do it. Let Mollis end me,” she said. “Good Gaia, I don’t want to live anymore,” she said.

  “After all you’ve done, you expect a quick end?” I asked with a bitter laugh. “After all of the death and destruction, do you seriously think you will just be allowed to fade away?”

  Mollis stood just behind me.

  “I want to. Oh, god, I want to fucking destroy you,” Mollis said. “But your soul isn’t mine to take. You owe E a hell of a lot more than you owe me.”

  I pulled Persephone up. By now, all but a couple of the smaller monsters were dead, and the immortals, vampires, and shifters were dealing with them. My New Guardians and the souls surrounded me, Mollis, and Persephone, waiting, watching.

  I handed Persephone to Mollis. “Can you… for just a moment?” I asked her. She gave a nod, and my Guardians closed ranks around her and Persephone. I saw Quinn take Persephone’s other arm. They would not risk letting her get away.

  I could feel Nyx calling me back, a tug on my soul. A warning. My time was almost up.

  I made my way to the panther who had just finished ripping one of the acid-breathing cats apart. His parents had already shifted back and stood, watching their son with worried expressions on their faces. They held hands, comforting and supporting one another. It was one more thing I knew I would miss, that feeling of having someone who loved me and wanted nothing more than to share both the good and the bad with me.

  Not now. I would not cry now.

  “Nicely done, Cub,” I said to him in a low, calm voice. I fought the sobs that wanted to burst free, forced myself to remain calm. I crouched a few feet away, and the panther studied me. Gradually, the mad look left its eyes. It slunk toward me and in an instant, it had shifted from gorgeous cat to even more beautiful male.

  My husband knelt, inches away from me, and studied me. The look in his eyes nearly undid me, but I forced myself to be still and calm.

  I had eternity to spend falling apart.

  “Eunomia,” he said in a hoarse whisper. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but was at a loss for words. He looked at me helplessly, at my ghostly, wavering form.

  “Your parents are here. They helped me,” I said. His gaze went to Sean and Rhiannon. Both of them stepped forward. Rhiannon ran her fingertips through her son’s hair, tears streaming down her face. Sean patted Brennan’s shoulder.

  “Guys,” Brennan said, staring at them. “Hey.”

  “Hey,” Rhiannon said. “You need to talk to her. I just wanted to tell you we love you and we are so proud of you. You are still our pride and joy.”

  Brennan just stared, and then he gave a nod. He met his father’s eyes, and I saw Sean smile at his son.

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sp; “You can spend a little time with him,” I told them, even though it was the last thing I wanted.

  Rhiannon shook her head. “No. Right now, he needs you. We’ll check on the others. We love you, Brennan.” With that, she smiled at her son, and she and her husband walked away. Brennan watched them go for a moment, and then turned back to me.

  “Why?” he asked, gesturing to my body, my ghostly form. I shrugged.

  “It was necessary. I don’t have much time,” I whispered. “Already, she is calling me back.”

  “Back where?”

  “To the Old Nether. She only opened the gateway so I could destroy the undead and bring her Persephone,” I said, nodding toward where my prisoner stood between Mollis and Quinn. “But I have to go back. This was her price.”

  He reached out a trembling hand and traced his fingertips down the side of my face. He should not have been able to feel me. I was a ghost. There was nothing but energy. And yet, he did. I could only guess that so much time spent among immortals who dealt in death had given him an affinity for it. Whatever the reason, I was grateful. His warm touch sent a shiver through my body, and I closed my eyes, unable to fight the tears that started flowing again. His fingertips continued, down the side of my neck, until his hand rested, warm and heavy, gently cradling the back of my neck. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to his wrist.

  “Don’t leave,” he said, and the plea in his voice was more than I could take.

  “I must. I did not want to leave without telling you how much I love you. You brought more joy to my life than I ever could have imagined. I never told you how being with you made me feel like I was both the most powerful and weakest thing in existence, or how safe and happy I felt in your arms.”

  By now, I was crying outright, tears coursing down my face, and he was crying just as hard, shaking his head.

  “I never told you how much it scared me, the intensity of my love for you. I never told you that for the first time in my life, I finally felt like I belonged somewhere, and that somewhere was wherever you were.”

  “I can’t let you go, Eunomia,” he said, pulling me closer and burying his face against me.

  “It is like holding ice, isn’t it?” I asked. I knew souls radiated cold. There is nothing quite like the cold that comes from something that is not of the living.

  “I don’t care.” He held me tightly, so tightly I could barely breathe, though I realized just then that I was past needing to breathe. It was habit, and nothing more. I held him close and we cried. His body shook as he held me. Nyx called to me again, and the urge to heed her call was more powerful this time.

  “It is time,” I said, and I started crying harder. We held on, because we both knew that very soon, Nyx’s summons would be impossible for me to ignore any longer.

  I forced myself to stop crying. “One day, Cub, when it all finally does come to an end, maybe we will see one another again.”

  He looked at me with red-rimmed eyes, his jaw tense. I could see it now, the anger finding its way into his mourning. “It won’t be that long,” he said after a moment spent searching my eyes. “When Sean’s grown up, I’ll ask Nain to do a favor for me. He won’t refuse. This is not forever, E. I don’t care what it takes. I am finding my way to you somehow.”

  Nyx’s call came again, a warning.

  “I do not want you to die to be with me,” I said angrily. “Live. Live fully. Live for both of us, because I sure the hell will not have the joy of being here and seeing this sun rise and feeling warm summer rain on my face or icy winter wind cutting through me. Live for both of us, Cub. I want happiness for you.”

  “Happiness without you,” he said.

  I pressed my hand to his chest, just over the place where his heart beat, so solidly, so steadily. How many nights had I fallen asleep to its comforting sound as I lay pressed against him? “We both know you won’t be without me entirely,” I told him, patting his chest again. “Thank you for loving me,” I said, and then the infernal tears started again. He leaned forward and pressed a fierce, desperate kiss to my cold lips, and I felt myself being pulled away.

  “She is taking me back. I need to go,” I told him, looking toward Persephone. I had to take her and bring her back with me, or it was all for nothing.

  Brennan gave me a nod, and released me. He stood up, and I took a few steps away, not trusting myself to resist running back into his arms one last time and missing my chance to take Persephone to Nyx. An entire world, an entire realm weighed against a few more moments in his arms, and I was almost ashamed by how much I wanted to give it all up, to steal those few moments while I could.

  Instead, I did what everyone else seemed to know I would do. I walked to Mollis and Quinn and took Persephone’s arm. Everyone I looked at was crying, but Mollis just looked cold and angry.

  “She can’t fucking keep you,” she said. “You’re mine.”

  I raised an eyebrow at her. “I’m my own, demon girl. But I love you just the same. Good-bye, my friend.”

  I met Quinn’s eyes for a moment, and he and the rest of my New Guardians bowed to me. It was nearly enough to undo me again.

  I felt myself and my army of souls being pulled to her, returning to Nyx whether we were ready or not. The last thing I saw in the mortal realm was my husband’s eyes, his gaze locked to mine until the very last moment of my existence in his world.

  And then, there was just the Old Nether, its amethyst sky like the muddied painting of a child, black twisted trees like something out of a nightmare.

  My eternity.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Just ahead of us, near Hades’ old, ruined palace, Nyx waited. The army of souls dispersed as soon as we returned, going to wherever it is souls spend their free time in the Old Nether. I supposed I would find out soon enough. Rhiannon and Sean each patted my shoulders before walking away. It was a very Brennan gesture, and another reminder that I would have to avoid them for a while if I expected to keep my sanity.

  I walked to Nyx, still escorting Persephone, who had started trembling under Nyx’s icy gaze. I handed her off, glad to finally be able to stop touching her, because the urge to cause her a whole lot of pain and suffering was only growing the longer I had to look at her. Nyx seemed to focus for a moment, and Persephone was bound in chains. She started whimpering, crying out, and I realized that they were more than just physically restraining her.

  “She is being repaid for every bit of pain, every death, every bit of damage she caused. It will be quite a long time before it is over and then I will absorb her energy,” Nyx informed me. I nodded. A day ago, three days ago, I might have felt some pity for Persephone. I had lost everything because of her.

  And yet… I had saved everything as well. I was not so humble that I was incapable of seeing that my actions had had an impact.

  “The mortal realm lives, thanks to you,” Nyx said, as if she had read my mind. “I have sent some of my energy to the Earth. It will aid the Earth goddesses and Earthwitches in the work they do restoring their realm.”

  I nodded. Did she expect a thank you?

  We stood in silence for several long, awkward moments. All I wanted to do was find somewhere to be alone. I watched Persephone writhe and whimper on the ground and felt nothing. I was aware of Nyx watching me, and it made me want to hit her even more than I already did.

  “Such a sacrifice, for this one world,” Nyx said. “Tell me, Guardian: was it worth it?”

  I looked up at an amethyst sky, but in my mind, I saw the cornflower blue sky I remembered from summer days in Detroit. I thought of the man I loved, of the son he adored, of my friends who showed me what family really meant. Before them, the sacrifice never would have been worth it. “It was worth it. I am at peace, Nyx.”

  “At peace, perhaps, but not happy.”

  I did not answer. My happiness was not an issue. I had made a deal, and it had saved the world and people I love. I could spend eternity in peace, knowing they would go on.

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nbsp; Nyx reached out and gently ran her fingers over my face, tracing the contours of my cheeks, my jawline. It was too similar to the way Brennan had so recently caressed me, and it brought tears to my eyes again. I tried to force them away and failed miserably.

  “Of all the things I created, I put the most honor into you, Guardian. You have lived a life to be proud of, Eunomia. you have made me proud, even in the darkest times.”

  I bowed my head. “Thank you, Nyx.”

  Nyx sighed. “My granddaughter is going to be a mess without you. And the challenges she will yet face…” she trailed off, shaking her head.

  “Surely this was the worst of it,” I said.

  “I would like to believe that.” Nyx answered. “You saved the world. However, it is a world that has been irreparably damaged by the things this one,” she said, nudging Persephone with her toe, “did to it. Undoubtedly, she has drawn the attention of beings we would have been better off staying invisible to.”

  “The other Creators,” I murmured, and she nodded.

  “I do not think any of them, even the worst among them, would attack outright. You saved it, restored the balance. That will not be ignored. But the trauma the world suffered… the mortals will be angry and afraid, probably, because that is what they do. And I cannot even blame them. But aside from that, it is likely that she has fractured the veil between realms.”

  I studied her. “What does that mean, exactly?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe nothing. It depends on how big the fissures are, and on who finds them.”

  “Can beings from the other realms come into ours?” I asked, alarmed.

  “It depends. If the damage is enough to have weakened the veil… maybe. It has happened in other realms.”