Vowed to Hades (Romancing the Seas #4)

18. Hades

HADES

H ades sat in the dim light of their room, his eyes never leaving Persephone as she slept. The flickering flames from the hearth cast long shadows across the walls, but tonight, the darkness felt less oppressive.

It was as if the Underworld itself recognized the fragile peace that had settled over them, giving them a rare moment of tranquility.

Persephone lay nestled in the bed they had once shared, her breathing even, her face free of the usual tension that marred her sleep.

She seemed less troubled tonight, deeper in her rest, and Hades couldn’t help but feel a flicker of relief at the sight. She deserved this peace after everything she had been through, everything that had been done to her.

He traced the line of her jaw with his gaze, committing every detail to memory as if he might lose her again at any moment .

His thoughts drifted to Hermes, to the revelations that had come spilling from the messenger’s lips.

If Adonis had indeed used a book of forbidden magic to curse Persephone, stripping away her memories, then that same book might hold the key to undoing the damage. The antidote. The solution to this endless nightmare.

But the problem was clear. That cursed book lay in the one place in all the realms where Hades could not tread—Adonis's palace, hidden behind wards so ancient and powerful that any man, even he, the Lord of the Underworld, would turn to stone upon crossing the threshold.

It was an obstacle that would have disheartened any lesser being, but Hades was not one to be easily deterred. He had found ways around such barriers before, and he would find a way again. For her, there was nothing he wouldn’t do.

As he sat in the quiet, his mind churning with thoughts and plans, Persephone stirred, a soft murmur escaping her lips.

Hades tensed, watching her closely as her brow furrowed, her body twitching as though caught in the throes of a nightmare. He reached out instinctively, wanting to soothe her, to draw her away from whatever horrors haunted her dreams.

But then she whispered a name, and Hades froze, his heart leaping into his throat.

“Hades,” she breathed, the word slipping from her lips like a prayer, like a plea .

He couldn’t breathe, as the sound of his name from her lips reverberated through him.

For so long, he had listened to her cry out for Adonis in her sleep, her mind still tangled in the web of lies and deceit that had been spun around her.

But now, she was reaching for him .

The word struck him in the chest, igniting a fire within him, a flame that had nearly been extinguished by the relentless weight of despair. But now, that tiny flicker of hope grew into something more, something unstoppable.

His Persephone was still in there, and she was slowly, painfully, finding her way back to him.

His hand shook as he reached out, gently taking her outstretched hand in his. She was still trembling, her breaths quick and uneven, but he brought her hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to her palm.

“I’m here, my love,” he whispered, his voice rough with emotion.

He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, his touch light, reverent, as if she were made of the finest, most delicate glass.

At his touch, Persephone’s breathing evened out, her body relaxing once more as the nightmare released its hold on her.

She stilled, sinking back into a deeper sleep, the line between her brows disappearing.

Hades watched her for a moment longer, his heart pounding in his chest, filled with a love so fierce it threatened to consume him.

“My love,” he murmured, leaning down to press his lips to her forehead. The kiss was soft, lingering, a vow of his unwavering devotion. “What have they done to you?”

The anger simmered beneath his calm exterior, a dark, boiling rage that had been building for what felt like an eternity.

He had watched her suffer, had seen the pain in her eyes as she struggled to remember the life they had once shared. And now, as he looked at her, so fragile, so vulnerable, that anger coalesced into something dark and vengeful.

He leaned closer, his lips brushing against her ear as he growled a promise laced with the full force of his fury. “I vow to hunt down everyone responsible for this, and I will craft a bed from their bones. Then I shall worship you on that bed until you remember everything.”

His words were a vow, an oath sworn to the very depths of the Underworld. Those who had wronged her would pay dearly. He would carve his revenge into the fabric of the world, and nothing would stand in his way.

The darkness within him, the part that had always been ruthless and relentless, now found a singular purpose. And it was for her. For the woman he had loved for millennia. The woman who had been torn from him by deceit and treachery.

Hades pulled back slightly, his eyes never leaving her face.

She was his heart, his soul, and he would stop at nothing to bring her back to him. No god, no curse, no force in any realm would keep him from her side.

As she slept, Hades kept vigil, the fire within him burning brighter with every passing moment.

The path ahead was fraught with danger, but he would face it all, would face any challenge, to restore what had been taken from them.

And when the time came, when she was ready, he would tell her everything. The truth, in all its painful, brutal clarity.

But for now, he would let her rest, let her find peace in the knowledge that he was there, that he would never leave her side.

The Underworld was vast, its darkness all-encompassing, but within this room, within this bed where she lay, there was a light—a light that had been dimmed, but not extinguished.

Hades would see to it that it burned bright once more, that Persephone would remember the love they had shared, the life they had built together.

He settled back, his hand still holding hers, his eyes never leaving her face.

The battle was far from over, but tonight, in this moment, there was hope. And that was enough to keep him going. Enough to see him through the darkness that lay ahead.