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Welcome to this occult spin on Hades and Persephone.
The werewolf mourned in the blackberry patch, clutching his mate to his chest. Was her body dead? No, not quite. Almost, though. And it didn’t matter. She was on her way to me, finally, at long last.
This is not from the pit. It is the pit.
All the while, I reminded myself of my quest, my reason for walking into hell of my own accord.
I’m confused I thought he took her
“Hi again. You have horns,” I said by way of greeting.
lol
The look of pure evil so brilliant it took my breath away as his ruby and copper-colored eyes stared a hole through my dark heart.
“Your eyes,” I stammered out. “They’re so…” The devil hummed low in his throat. “So what? Terrifying, horrible, evil—” “All of those things, and like blood in an amber bottle. The shade is so dreadful and beautiful.”
“Dreadful and beautiful, much like you, sweet death, my little terror of decay.”
“Blackberry wine. Like it? And this? This is a library. You’ve been here once before. Don’t you recall?”
“That’ll be all, Amon,” Devil dismissed. “So they do have a name.” He cut into his steak. “They all do. They all answer to me. No one you see here within the town’s limits will harm you.”
“I’m sure you saw many things.” “I saw the Halloween Boys,” I said, searching his gaze. But the mention seemed to cause him to pause. As he slowly recovered, he refilled his wineglass. “Go on.” “They were—they were dead. Lying on the ground. Fire everywhere. It was a vision. I get those often. And this was the worst I’ve ever had. It’s why I had to come here to find you and ask for your help.” The devil tensed his jaw and twirled the stem of his wineglass, slouching over in his seat.
He seems annoyed that she wasn’t there for him
Chairs looked too small for him. Everything here looked too tiny, too fragile, next to him. Including me.
“So the only reason you came here was for them. You summoned the gateway, walked through the forest of the median level, and ignorantly followed a fae, all for them.” His grip hardened on his glass. “Why else would I come to—” “Hell? Yes, Blythe, this is hell. And I’m not helping you.”
Oh he’s really mad
“She can’t be far. Probably got lost picking flowers or blackberries.” “Min’s terrified of the dark. Why’d she go without me?”
Minnie was likely also talking with J in secret
Human men always thought themselves more strong, more capable than they truly were, so when something indeed extraordinary happened—they tended to think it commonplace or a confirmation of their brilliance. It was a fatal flaw that I found women did not possess. Though everyone on my side of the veil knew women to be much stronger than men, regardless.
The voice of the dragon emerged then, as a breathless and deadly promise. “We find them. We find each and every one of them, and I will drain and drink every ounce of their blood for what they’ve done.”
“The school, putting my bedroom in Lamb’s Blood Church—” “Our bedroom.”
“I’m not sharing a bed with you.” “You will. You’ll do anything and everything I want you to,” he rumbled plainly, crossing his arms.
“I despise talking, and you do require so much of it.” Huffing in indignation, I stepped back. “For someone who hates talking, you su...
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aff...
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“I’m going home.” “You ...
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Then my eyes betrayed me as they dropped to his full lips, and mine parted at the sight of them. Something about this bully of a being drew me in and entranced me like none other. His eyes dropped similarly, and then his hand was on my lower back, pressing me flush to his body as his tongue wet his lower lip in temptation. I quivered at the sight of it. His gaze softened ever so slightly as he whispered, “You need to go for a walk.”
The fact he said that is everything
“You have some freaking nerve asking me for help.” “Nerve, yes. I have a surplus of that. And you’ll surrender, little death. In time, you’ll give me everything.”
“Keep in mind, hell is not yours until you claim it. Every demon, legion, ghoul, and foul thing that haunted you in your realm? Their numbers are tenfold here. And I cannot protect you until you are queen. They’ll play tricks on you, fuck with your mind. But as the queen of the underworld, you would rule over them. They would do your bidding. But until then… watch your step.”
It all began to fall into place. If Devil was Zyre’s master, and the chaos magician was after me so he could bring me to his master, along with the ghouls… “It’s been him the whole time, hasn’t it?”
I knew it
“It’s hard to find a good white foundation. Yours is nice.” The chaos magician clapped. “It is! See? Goth girls get it. Sorry about what I said at the circus that day—about your makeup. That was out of line. I’d kill to know how to do a cat eye as well as you.”
Zyre tapped his chin. “Wonder why, hm?” But before I could question his odd and teasing grin, he continued.
I don’t understand the mirror thing
“So you think you’d ever take me to Hallows Fest? I’ve never been but want to go so fucking bad.”
Awww he wants to be her friend
“Can you stop acting like we’re friends? I despise you.” I shoved past him and clipped down the sidewalk. Skipping to catch up, he persisted. “But we are friends, Ace. Look at us—strolling hell together, working to please the devil.” “I do not care about pleasing that arrogant, lying bully of a prick.”
If she knows he isn’t in control I don’t understand why she’s being mean to him. He’s trying to be nice
He chuckled. “I can see why you’re his bride. You two have similar senses of dark sass.” “Wait, what? I’m not his bride.” “Toodles!”
This was a cruel game from the devil indeed. Because Ash Grove wasn’t Ash Grove without the Halloween Boys.
“Why are there no mirrors? Why does this place look like Ash Grove?” “I see you had a lovely walk, my bride. You know, Halloween in hell is something souls aspire to for eternity.” He took a leisurely sip of bourbon. “You got to waltz right in. Wonder why that would be?”
The only reason she was ever able to enter Ash Grove is because she’s his bride and she didn’t even know it. This is why everyone has always been so confused about how she got there
The mirror was now in place, where it had once been missing from the vanity. And the reflection staring back at me wasn’t an unfamiliar one. My eyes, my long golden-brown waves, my black dress, the dips of my elegant curves. I was the same except it wasn’t me… or it was… but I had black and twisted horns protruding from the top of my head. Her. I’d seen her on Halloween after the Baphomet’s attack. She’d sat on a throne then, and she’d looked so sure, so like me but so not me at the same time…
I watched as Devil looked on, seemingly pleased, and bent forward, brushing his lips against my ear from behind. “Hello, Mortala. My bride. Welcome home.”
I struck a match, and the flame twirled and danced for its master.
I extended my hand. “We have a bargain.” His palm electrified with mine, a cog in the clock of his ticking fate, as blue smoke subtly danced around our exchange.
“She—there is darkness all around her. But she’s holding on. Her love for you all keeps her like a tether to her body. Though it is slipping… she is being… persuaded.”
I don't ask you to love me always like this, but I ask you to remember. Somewhere inside of me there will always be the person I am tonight. Tender Is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald
“You’ve been watching me.” “That’s a bit of an understatement. Go deeper.” “Stalker,” I accused on a confused breath. “Hunter,” he corrected. “Seeker.”
“My lord, I know you have awaited this return for some time, but there are other factors to consider—”
Blythe had been there before
“Blythe, my dear, your place is not lurking in doorways but on my knee,” the devil’s heavy voice boomed. Blushing at being caught eavesdropping, I swung open the diner door and slinked inside.
This
“You will keep the Halloween Boys from their end.” The devil rubbed his jaw, seemingly tasting my words. I’d crafted it well. There were no loopholes. The devil would spare them that fate by promising they wouldn’t die, like I’d seen them do, and in this, I could ensure their safety. I could save them. “And what do I get in return if I agree?” “I tolerate you occasionally.” “Not nearly a good enough bargain.” “What do you want?” “You, all of you, with me forever and all of time,”
“I covet your hate,”
“They were just practice for me,” he hissed. “You are mine.”
I stood and glared up at him with hot tears of anger and want in my gaze. He was so tall, so domineering, and now I belonged to him. I hated that. I loved that.
Onyx was a dragon and a vampire. He let emotion, fire, and lust control him. Wolfgang was an alpha werewolf. The moon, his hidden and carnal urges, and his sense of loyalty drove his every action. I was unlike either of them.
It was only and always Blythe Pearl, my claimed.
I’d kept her here, sharing her with my friends like a well-loved book passed back and forth, shared and talked over.
“The devil is in his Hades and Persephone era. You four horsemen shall watch what she does and make peace with the aftermath.”
