Page 221

“Trust me,” she whispered.

“I trust you.”

It was Theseus he did not trust.

“Then let me go,” she said and he wasn’t sure what it was about how she spoke, but he found himself relaxing his fingers but it was as though he’d been spelled, his heart at war with his mind.

Theseus chuckled and opened the door. “You have made the right decision.”

Hades held her gaze, unable to look away. She took a few steps back, eyes wide and pleading. She was asking him to let her leave, begging him to stay. When she turned away from him, she took his heart with her..

“Persephone,” he said, desperate to call her back.

Do not leave with him, he wanted to say.We will figure this out, but he knew there was no escaping Divine Justiceif he did not let this transaction take place. As much as he hated to admit it, letting her go was likely the best option. It would leave him free to find her, to save her, to tear Theseus to pieces.

She came to stand beside Theseus, and she held his stare.

“I love you,” she said. “And I know you.”

He knew what she was saying, because he felt her magic a second before it burst through the ground and took hold of him. His arms and legs suddenly anchored him to the floor, which was quickly buckling beneath his feet.

“Persephone!” he roared though she was right. He’d have likely not let them leave the building before he came after them and she wasn’t willing to risk Sybil’s life.

As he struggled against her restraints, his muscles shaking, he looked up in time to see her stricken face before the door slammed shut.

CHAPTER XLIV

THESEUS

Theseus ushered Persephone out of Alexandria Tower and into a waiting SUV and climbed into the vehicle behind her. As soon as they were seated, he held out his hand.

“Your ring,” he said.

“My—why?”

“Yourring,” he said sharply. He did not like repeating himself. “Or I will cut your finger off too.”

It was not an empty threat. He was a man of his word.

She glared but pulled the ring off. He dropped it into the pocket of his jacket.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

He had expected his question. They always wanted to know, as if it the knowledge somehow mattered.

It didn’t.

It was not as if she could escape him. By the time they reached their destination and she saw what he was capable of, she would be too afraid to move against him.

“We will be going to the Diadem Hotel until I am ready to execute my plans with you.”

“And what are those?”

“I am not one to show my hand before I am ready,QueenPersephone.”

He’d hoped she would react a little more to the use of her title, but she ignored it. He didn’t like that and a wave of irritation rushed to his head, making his face burn.

“Is Sybil there? At the hotel?”