Page 190 of Hekate: The Witch (Goddesses of the Underworld #1)

The Island

It was past dawn

when Thanatos told me

that we were going to collect

the final soul of this day.

We were on an island,

a harsh, rock-strewn place full

of sheep and coarse land

and the heat of the morning sun

already beating down on a golden beach

where a little boy sat alone.

My mouth tasted ash.

Was this the final soul?

As we moved closer, I saw

that the boy was cradling

something in his arms,

burning sobs racking his body.

I realized that the thing

in the boy’s arms

was a small pup,

breathing his last.