Page 12 of Love and Death (Tempting the Fates #4)

HAZEL

A soft groan escapes me as I’m shaken from the merciful embrace of sleep. The pain and heartache, dulled only moments ago, come surging back with a vengeance, once again threatening to overwhelm me.

An involuntary shiver rushes through me, the cold washroom floor biting into the bonier planes of my naked body where I still lie curled up against it. I wince at the thought, screwing my eyes shut tighter against the world.

For a split second, I’d hoped it had all been a nightmare. But with sleep quickly fading from my waking mind, I cannot deny the hellish reality of it all.

“Hazel?”

I start at the sound of my name, soft as the voice is, having already forgotten that I’d been woken up. My eyes fly open, and I’m shocked to find a familiar face staring down at me .

“Florence, is it really you?” I ask, hardly daring to believe my own eyes.

“Yes, but what are you doing on the floor? It is nearly mid-afternoon.”

I choose to ignore her question in favor of my own instead.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been sent to help you,” she answers with a kind smile.

My heart skips a beat in my chest at this.

“Eros,” I gasp, a small groan escaping me as I force myself halfway up off the floor. “Did Eros send you?”

Her smile falters.

“No, I’m afraid not.”

“If not Eros, then who?”

“Cerberus.”

I stare at her, my mouth slightly agape at this. “I don’t understand. How is that possible? I’m sorry, but how would he even know to send you?”

“He wanted to send Lilia to tend to you, but when she could not, I asked that he send me instead.”

“Lilia? Wait, where did you say Cerberus found you?”

“I never said he found me,” she answers with a little grin before clarifying, “It was I who found him, and in Eros’ palace of all places.”

“Then how do you know about Lilia?”

“She was there, too.”

“In Eros’ palace?” Florence nods, and my head swims in confusion. “But … but she is here. She is one of the women being held here by Hades.”

“Not anymore. ”

“Then, she escaped the palace?” I ask, hardly daring to believe it possible.

“Yes.”

“Did the others escape, too?”

She nods, and I nearly burst into tears over this news and the momentary reprieve it grants me from the heaviness in my soul.

“But I still don’t understand why you would ask Cerberus to send you here instead. This place is a nightmare that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”

Florence tilts her head slightly to one side, as if she doesn’t quite know how to answer me.

“Because,” she finally starts, “you saw me. You cared enough to take an interest in me, despite your own troubles. You gave me something that few succubae ever come to know outside of infamy … a name. And, in doing so, you gave me hope. Now, I would like the chance to give you hope, if you will allow me.”

“Of course, I did not mean to sound ungrateful,” I sigh deeply. “Gods know I could use a friend here.”

“Then it is settled,” she says, smiling brightly. “I should also mention, now that we are friends, that there is another reason for me coming.”

“And that is,” I ask, suddenly wary again.

“I gave Death my word.”

I go still, mind and soul, at the mention of his name. Surely, I must have misheard her.

“You … you gave Death your word?” I say, the question barely more than a whisper on my lips.

“Yes,” Florence says, inching closer as she offers her hand to me .

“When was this? What did he say to you?”

“Come, let me help bathe you and tend to your wounds, and I will answer your questions as best as I can.”

I glance down at myself, suddenly reminded that I am sitting before her naked, dirty, and streaked with dried blood.

Thankfully, the wild waves of my hair have helped to preserve some of my modesty.

Still, my cheeks burn hot with embarrassment as I take her hand, allowing her to help me to my feet and over to the pool of steaming water.

Every inch of me aches, and I have to bite back a groan of discomfort as I carefully lower myself into the hot water and Florence quickly sets to work.

For a while, neither of us speaks. I give in to a moment of peace, the soft splash of water and sudsy lather of soaps filling my ears as Florence tenderly cares for me. If nothing else, it gives me a chance to gather my thoughts as I patiently wait for her to continue.

But, try as I might, I can only take her silence for so long before questions begin to flood my mind once again.

“Florence, you said you found Cerberus in Eros’ palace. Did he come back with you?”

I ask, turning to give the succubus a questioning look.

“No, I came alone.”

“How did you manage that with all the palace guards, not to mention the door being locked?”

“Ego and stone are easy to fool,” Florence says offhandedly. “As for the door, Cerberus gave me his keys.”

My eyes widen as she reaches into the folds of her dress and pulls out the set of keys that I’d watched the hellhound use earlier. Immediately, hope bursts to life in my chest, though I hardly dare to acknowledge its presence.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had this?! Hurry, help me out of this bath so that we can escape before Cerberus returns.”

The succubus’ fingers close over the keys before she quickly tucks them back into the folds of her dress.

“No,” she says, placing a hand on my shoulder. “We cannot.”

“What? Why not? This could be our only chance!”

Florence shakes her head vehemently, her hand keeping me firmly in place.

“No, it is not safe. Not yet.”

“Safe? Nowhere is safe for me here,” I press. “You were able to find a way through the palace to get to me ... Surely, we can escape the same way.”

She cocks her head slightly to one side at this.

“No, I am a succubus, sweet mortal.”

“So?”

“ So , unlike you, I am noticed little more than a shadow would be in the pitch of night.”

“But you are so beautiful; how can that possibly be true,” I say. “Even the stories we mortals have written about succubae would beg to differ.”

“That does not surprise me,” Florence says with a small chuckle before the humor drops from her voice, “but the mortal realm is far different than our own. Your kind is known for being easily blinded to the truth, especially when physical beauty is concerned. To those who live here … to those who can see the truth of what I am, I am not nearly as alluring as you have been led to believe.”

“The truth?”

“I am loathed amongst gods, precious mortal. I am the embodiment of our kind’s greatest fear, for I am soulless.

This is the only life I will ever know. Whereas your soul shines brighter than the stars, I am but an empty husk.

My kind was created solely to serve and to be used by those in power.

Here, I am valued little more than the dirt one might tread upon, less even, for I have no say over my own life.

The moment my maker is finished with me, I will return to dust, as if I never existed at all. ”

I stare at her in disbelief, barely able to wrap my head around what she’s just told me … It just doesn’t make sense to me, but then again, not much of the Underworld and its ways do.

Still, how can she possibly believe herself to be so insignificant, let alone soulless? Surely, at least that cannot be true. I refuse to believe that someone who has shown me such kindness has no soul.

But these thoughts will have to wait, for now.

“Then can you not show me another way to escape? Perhaps one with fewer guards?”

“Did you not hear a word of what I just said,” Florence questions, her eyes searching my face in dismay. “You are a beacon to the world beyond this room. If you were to try to escape on your own, the entire palace would take notice the moment you were spotted.”

“Then I won’t let myself be spotted.”

“Impossible, even I couldn’t manage that.”

“Please, Florence,” I plead. “If we could just try , then we might stand a chance of escaping this city and this pitiful form of existence together.”

She shakes her head at this.

“Mortal dearest, even if I could find a way to get you past the guards and through the streets unseen, I cannot step foot beyond the city gate.”

“That can’t be true, how else would we have so many stories about your kind in our realm?”

“Succubae are bound to the city and the gods they serve. Those who do leave, are only able to do so at the bidding of their masters,” she explains, her voice soft but cold.

“We go to the mortal realm to serve our masters’ just as we would here, in whatever way they bid us.

I daresay that, aside from mentioning our allure, the tales you have about us are far from … pleasant.”

She isn’t wrong, and my cheeks burn with shame as I recall the themes of depravity and great cruelty that often accompanied such stories. Now, I have to wonder how much of what we know about succubae is true, and what has merely been contrived for the gods’ dark amusement.

“If you cannot leave, then would you consider giving me the keys,” I say. “Let me take my chances at escaping alone, should the time come.”

The succubus stares at me, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“And where would you go?”

“I … I don’t know.”

“Even if you managed to escape Aglaia, the gates of the Underworld are still sealed,” she continues, crushing any hope I had left. “And then there is the Styx. Charon. Lost souls. The mists— ”

“I understand,” I interrupt, feeling foolish enough as it is.

It’s only now that I realize just how impossible escape will be without Death’s help. Even if I had the key to the gates and managed to find Death’s body and my father’s soul, Florence is right, I have no way to cross the Styx, let alone traverse the realms …

My heart sinks further into despair, and I hurry to turn my back to the succubus. I stare, unseeing, as the rippling water begins to blur before me, and grim reality sets in.

Without Death, there is no escape. Not for me. Not one with a future beyond the realm of the dead by any means.

My body still lies in his palace, far beyond my reach …

beyond anyone’s reach. Without Death, there is no life to be had.

The most I can hope for now is that my father’s soul can still be saved and that my own might be joined with Death’s in the afterlife …

assuming his is there and mine isn’t lost long before then.

Enough.

I press my trembling lips together, driving these thoughts back into the dark corners of my mind. I have to stop allowing myself to wallow in self-pity. I have to be stronger than this. I have to try.

Though it will be no easy feat, I refuse to let Death’s sacrifice be in vain.

Regardless of what’s to come, I will find a way to be reunited with him … but first, I must ensure the safety of my father’s soul.

And hopefully, before Hades’ return.