But now, sleep beckons again, pulling at me from the lips of the demon who comes nearer. His every step sends up clouds of silver smoke, though his strides splinter the floor as if he’s walking on a frozen lake.
“Look at me, love.”
I whimper, tortured by his compelling command. Still, I lift my head. I have no choice. I’m forced to subject my gaze to the fathomless red furnaces of his.
The connection diminishes Maximus’s bellow to nothing but a whisper. Slowly, the god’s clasp replaces Rerek’s around me. It’s gentler but just as confining. Hades hushes more of my tortured sobs, even as the ongoing invasion of his insidious voice compounds my anguish.
There’s nowhere to move, outside or in, as the king I’ve defied becomes the dictator of my future. My muscles are dying coals. My blood is an ice floe.
Only in the deepest core of my heart can I cling to any warmth, from a flame I protect like a prisoner in an Antarctic dungeon.
It’s the light of love. The blaze of my beautiful demigod. The fire not even Hades can take from me—nor, I swear, will ever see. It’s evident he doesn’t even now, as he clamps a hand to my temple and stalks his way into more of my mind. I fight him with all the psychological force I can muster, but he’s here now. Stomping through my mind. Gouging my senses before consuming them with his captivated murmur.
“My word. You really are fascinating.”
The sound is strange and surreal, vibrating only in the confines of my head—just like my unending scream, as he carries me off to a fate I know nothing and everything about.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Maximus
“He’s taken her.”
Jaden’s revelation is a brutal husk, reflecting my own agony. But hearing it in spoken form doesn’t ease one soul-eating shred of it.
Desperate to rewind, rewrite, and reclaim the harrowing moments, I reset my mind to the moments after Kara and I came in from the beach. I force-feed the memories back into it. Every awful, ignorant second. Every disgusting detail. I don’t stop until everything’s inside, festering like a pile of plague-infested rags. But so much worse because I can’t incinerate it all away. Nor do I want to, because those blindly simple moments could hold vital clues to getting her back.
It’s all I can think about. The flames of the wish are fed by the kerosene from my soul until my vision goes black. I’m going to die. If Kara is truly gone, I hope so.
But my heart is still beating. I’m still hemorrhaging with rage, throbbing with misery. I open my eyes, and I can still see everything. At least this place looks like a hellmouth now. Hades’s arrival took out all the windows. There’s shattered alabaster everywhere. I yearn to crush it to dust.
And now, thanks to me, torrents of rain are soaking everything. A spear of lightning bisects the deck. It might be impressive under different circumstances. Like if I were making love to Kara instead of grieving her abduction.
Right now, all I want to do is howl until the rest of the roof comes down. Hurl my fists through the walls that are still upright. Most of all, wrap all my fingers around Rerek’s neck. But the traitorous shit, along with the rest of his freakish friends, dissolved along with Hades and Kara.
Dissolved to where?
My throat convulses as I yearn to thunder the question at Jaden. But his face is gaunt. His eyes are bloodshot. Clearly his imagination is consumed by the same visceral terror I saw in Kara on the beach. His mouth moves as if he wants to bellow things too.
The waves on the shore worsen as I endure another slam of helpless fury. I don’t try to tame the breakers, but I don’t claim a shred of satisfaction from them. They’re the same as the lightning and rain. Products of my rage, not partners in it.
My only true partner has been stolen. Ripped from me by the hell scum whom I made the mistake of underestimating. In his wake, Jaden and I stare at nothing but half-soaked floors littered with broken plaster and discarded party flutes. He’s already on the move after shakily testing whether he can, rushing into the area being pelted by the rain. “Nothing,” he groans. “There’s literally nothing here!”
I wish he were wrong. But if the gods can move around entrances to their beachside bar like balls under a cosmic sorcerer’s cup, then Jaden is likely right. We’re really just standing here in the sideways rain with nothing but statuary shards for clues.
Clues I start gathering as fast as I possibly can, dropping to both my knees to do so. “Help me.” I nod toward another pile of the white wreckage. “We have to salvage as much of it as we can.”
“Why?” Jaden challenges, though not enough to disobey me. Thank God, because I’m stumbling through a nightmare right now, guided by nothing but my desperate dread. Wondering if I’ll ever wake up.
Kara.
I vocalize the thought too, pushing it out in an adoring whisper. I imagine she’s still here as I cup her face, holding her firm for my deeper penetration…
Kara, sweetheart. Hold on.
I don’t give that one any volume. The plea is as lame as it feels. Hold on to what? And where? So much I don’t know. So much I can’t do.
Waves are crashing closer and closer. The destroyed balcony will be driftwood before dawn. And a deeper reality sets in that I have to actually accept this into my brain as fact. She’s gone. Truly gone. In my blood, I already know she’s been taken someplace that won’t be easy or even possible to find.
“Maximus. Hey.” Jaden’s inflection is a clear indicator he’s on repetition five or six of the hail. He clutches the top of my shoulder. “Recalibrate, man. Hell really doesn’t wait for anyone. We’ll get her back.”
His drizzle of veiled hope provides a much-needed shot of energy for my body and hope for my heart.
But… “How?”
“No idea, but I’m guessing you’re going to need some help. We can try to glue this place back together, but I don’t think it’s going to get us much closer to finding her.”
A sliver of hope is better than none, and clinging to it is the galvanizer I need right now. Time is of the essence.
I scramble in my pocket for my truck keys. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
Jaden nods, also using the motion as a directional toward the front door. My careening senses are grateful. We race through the rubble toward what used to be Rerek’s artistically cool front entrance.
I’m there in no time, but when I don’t hear Jaden’s footsteps anymore, I stop in front of the fountain in the vestibule. Jaden’s still there, but a wholly new sound erupts from him as he drops violently to the floor. He grunts hard and topples harder, as if he’s hurtled into a clear glass door. But there’s no such barrier. There’s nothing’s there but air.
“What happened?”
He’s still flat on his back, muttering curses. With a fresh groan, he pushes back to his feet. On his new approach attempt, he extends his hands to make cautious friends with the air first. Except once again, his palms thwack into the invisible wall. After a more gritted profanity, so do his coiled fists.
“Is he fucking kidding?” He laces his fingers at the back of his head and jams his sights toward the ceiling. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
I take a tentative step toward him. “Hades is doing this?”
He shakes his head with savage fury. “Rerek.”
I pause, processing his revelation. “He helped Hades get to Kara. You were the prize.”
Jaden lowers his head. His nostrils are flared, his eyes enraged. “That chaotic cretin is going to learn just how awesome a prize I am.”
I inhale hard, hoping to suck in some of the powerful punch from his anger. But suddenly I’m twice as paralyzed as before. If I couldn’t save Kara from these forces, how the hell am I going to save Jaden?
“Hey. Don’t worry about it,” Jaden snaps, as if he’s able to hear my thoughts now too. Likelier, I’m wearing all the stress across my face. “Just go.” His voice is raw with rage and resignation. “I’ll deal with Rerek. You…well, just find h
er.”
“But—”
“You have to get her back. I’ll do whatever I can from here, but it won’t be enough. I can practically guarantee that.”
I’m exhaling now, yearning to turn it into a blast capable of taking out everything on the patio. But the invisible clock in my head ticks louder, subduing me into a terse nod. “If I have to turn hell inside out, I’ll find her,” I vow.
“You may have to,” Jaden mutters. “But right now, you’ve got to get out of here. Rerek could be back any second. You shouldn’t be here when he does.”
I pause once more, wanting to ask if he’ll be okay, but the urge gets stowed for more selfish reasons. It won’t do any good, and Jaden’s better prepared to deal with his sentence as Rerek’s prisoner than Kara is as a hostage in hell.
A hostage?
Is that even right?
The question pummels me as I rush back to the truck. What does Kara mean to Hades? Why did he go to such lengths to take her himself, when he could have employed any number of minions to carry out the task?
Is she his prisoner? Or is she his captured rebel, taken to experience his personal punishment for her sin against him? If so, then what kind of punishment? And for how long?
Driving through the night, with the wind whipping my hair and the rain lashing my face, I can’t stop myself from imagining all the possible answers for that. How many ways can Hades, king of misery and suffering and sorrow, choose to hurt the woman I love?
Panic surges again, hot and terrible and suffocating. I rechannel it, revving the truck’s engine far past the speed limit. I push a button and bark at the truck’s Bluetooth to call the only other person who’s been a true lifeline in tragic times.
Jesse picks up after the third ring. “This better be good.”
“It’s not.” I drag in as much air as I can, acknowledging the crack in my voice now that the cabin speakers surround me in a familiar, safe voice. “Fuck. It’s just…not.”
“Jesus. You sound like shit. What’s going on?”
“Can’t explain right now. I’m on my way home.”
“All right. I’m downstairs. But the suspense is already killing me. What happened? Is it Kara? Did you guys have a fight or something? Were you being an ass—”
“No.” I practically yell it. “It’s nothing like that.”
Jesse sighs, seemingly resigned to the sparse details. I’d tell him more, but I need the next twenty minutes to figure out exactly what to say and how. Until then, he’ll have to wait out the suspense.
“I’ll be there in twenty.”
After I end the call, my every thought magnetizes once more to Kara. For the rest of the drive, I focus my mind—and my heart—on a different activity. Something I haven’t done in a long damn time.
I pray. With the force of every neuron in my head and fiber of my heart.
Because she’s the fire I worship. The single soul in this world, and all the others, who has dared to go to the depths of mine and gifted me with hers in return.
I’m going to find her.
I’m going to bring her back, even if it means diving to the bottom of hell.
Even if it means trading my own soul for hers.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to my beta readers, Lauren and Jennifer, for providing early feedback on the first draft. Thank you to Scott Saunders and the entire Waterhouse team for their enthusiasm, talent, and dedication throughout the editing and publishing process. Big thanks to my husband, Jonathan, and my mom, Colleen, for always helping push me through the tough spots. Last but not least, I owe a debt of gratitude to my co-author Angel Payne. Maximus and Kara’s story could not shine so brightly without your poetry and imagination on every page.
— Meredith
* * *
What an amazing adventure this has been and continues to be! I owe so much fierce, fiery love and thanks to the incredible Meredith Wild. I continue to be floored and honored that you’ve invited me along to be a part of Maximus and Kara’s journey. Thank you for being a truly awesome creative partner and a deeply cherished friend. Here’s to the magnificent “storm” ahead!
As all the cute ponies say: friendship is magic! It’s unbelievably true in my world, and I want to say a massive thanks to my sisters who keep me perpetually sane—and supplied with all the corny motivational stuff when I need to hear it most! Victoria Blue, Carey Sabala, Cynthia Gonzales, Shayla Black, and Jenna Jacob: you are such jewels in my world!
So much gratitude to our editor, Scott Saunders, who helps make the words dance with such patience and expertise.
The Waterhouse Press team: I am beyond grateful for each and every one of you, in so many ways. In marketing & publicity: Jonathan Mac, Robyn Lee, Haley Boudreaux, and Kellie Jo Chen. In graphics, design, and social media: Amber Maxwell and Dana Bridges. In operations, distribution, and technical support: Jesse Kench, Yvonne Ellis, Jennifer Becker, and Kurt Vachon. You all are truly the dream team! Thank you for everything.
Martha Frantz: You are my sanity essential. Thank you for keeping everything running so smoothly!
Stephanie Arrache: Thank you for continuing to make sure that all things Jesse are accurate and awesome. You are my freakin’ hero!
Thomas and Jessica: you are the center of my world and the fire in my heart, each and every day.
— Angel
Continue the Blood of Zeus Series
Coming May 4, 2021
Pre-Order Now
* * *
Enjoy Heart of Fire?
Please leave a review.
Also by Meredith Wild & Angel Payne
Blood of Zeus Series
Blood of Zeus
Heart of Fire
Fate of Storms
More Information on Blood of Zeus
Also by Meredith Wild
The Red Ledger
Reborn
Recall
Revenge
More Information on The Red Ledger
The Hacker Series
Hardwired
Hardpressed
Hardline
Hard Limit
Hard Love
* * *
The Bridge Series
On My Knees
Into The Fire
Over the Edge
About Meredith Wild
Meredith Wild is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author. After publishing her debut novel, Hardwired, in September 2013, Wild used her ten years of experience as a tech entrepreneur to push the boundaries of her “self-published” status, becoming stocked in brick-and-mortar bookstore chains nationwide and forging relationships with major retailers.
In 2014, Wild founded her own imprint, Waterhouse Press, under which she hit #1 on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. She has been featured on CBS This Morning and the Today Show, and in the New York Times, the Hollywood Reporter, Publishers Weekly, and the Examiner. Her foreign rights have been sold in twenty-three languages.
For more information, please follow Meredith Wild at:
MeredithWild.com
Also by Angel Payne
Shark’s Edge Series:
Shark’s Edge
Shark’s Pride
Shark’s Rise
Grant’s Heat
Grant’s Flame
* * *
Secrets of Stone Series:
No Prince Charming
No More Masquerade
No Perfect Princess
No Magic Moment
No Lucky Number
No Simple Sacrifice
No Broken Bond
No White Knight
No Longer Lost
* * *
The Bolt Saga:
Bolt
Ignite
Pulse
Fuse
Surge
Light
* * *
Honor Bound:
Saved
Cuffed
Seduced
Wild
Wet
Hot
Masked
Mastered
Conquered
Ruled
* * *
Misadventures:
Misadventures with a Time Traveler
* * *
Cimarron Series:
Into His Dark
Into His Command
Into Her Fantasies
* * *
Temptation Court:
Naughty Little Gift
Pretty Perfect Toy
Bold Beautiful Love
* * *
Suited for Sin:
Sing
Sigh
Submit
* * *
Lords of Sin:
Trade Winds
Promised Touch
Redemption
A Fire in Heaven
Surrender to the Dawn
* * *
For a full list of Angel’s other titles,
visit her at
Heart of Fire Page 23