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She looked at Hades as she passed him by, but he didn’t dare meet her gaze. As she descended the stairs, Hunter Jamison reached a hand toward her. She slowly extended her hand, her gaze on Verity’s face.
Verity numbly watched as Eloise put her hand in Jamison’s.
A few whirlwind moments and the procession of thief-takers had left. The hall was still full of bandits, but it felt empty. Hades’ heart was emptier still.
* * *
Hades stood on the staircase landing, staring at the closed door. Men around him dispersed, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Too many thoughts were whirling around in his mind.
Eloise was betrothed.
She had not said anything to him even once. How dare she accuse him of being a liar, of holding onto the letter to her brother when she was the one who had deceived him all along?
Everyone lied. He supposed that one truth was never changing. And there was one more liar in their fold. Someone who had taken Ava out of the house and escorted her to the masquerade ball. Sal and Garric were the ones to watch after Ava most of the time. They were his most trusted guards.
Unlike Eloise, Ava had been free to roam the second floor at free will as the guards stood at the foot of the staircase. And that was the gravest mistake Hades had ever made because as it turned out, she’d found out about the secret passage and used it to sneak out of the house frequently.
She’d met Greyson St. John during one of these outings and, as naïve as a girl she was, she was quickly swept into the whirlwind romance with the lord.
And that tragic night of the masquerade, he assumed she’d just sneaked out once again, all on her own. He had believed that lie for such a long time that it was difficult to accept the truth. Someone helped her leave the house. Someone took her to the masquerade ball, killed her there, then came back as if nothing had happened.
That night, Hades had come home only to find her gone. He had looked everywhere, but she was nowhere to be found. One of the harlots told him that Ava had talked about a masquerade for quite some time now, and Hades wasn’t surprised. Her fervent wish was to attend one.
And to his luck, he knew that night the biggest masquerade of high society was taking place in the Kensington townhouse. He sent his men out to find her, to look everywhere, including the townhouse. And he’d received the most devastating news.
They’d found her. Dead.
Hades shook his head, trying to dislodge the morbid thoughts—the lifeless body of his sister invading his mind. He was too distraught, too grief-stricken to think clearly then. Now, the face of the man who’d declared that he’d found Ava dead stood out clearly in his mind. How had he found out before anyone else?
Nobody had questioned it since. Now it was time for answers.
Hades moved down the staircase, his step heavy, rage slowly igniting in his veins. He paused as Grace walked to him with purposeful strides, a small valise in her hands.
Hades raised a brow.
“I said, if one more thing threatened my life, I would leave,” she said. “I’ve been staying here since the fire to help care for the injured men, but they don’t need me anymore. And I—” She swallowed. “Well, I don’t need you anymore.”
Hades watched her dispassionately, trying to understand what in the world was going on. Yes, his kingdom—his entire world—was crumbling. William had betrayed him, which wasn’t a surprise, it was just unpleasant. A traitor was in their midst, the one who had murdered Ava and tricked everyone this entire time. His hell had burnt, Eloise was gone, and now Grace was leaving him too.
Perhaps the prophecy was right. And if that was the case, then Eloise was better off without him. Because according to Grace, according to the prophecy, the only way for the curse to break was for Eloise to die.
Hades looked away. Let his kingdom crumble, then.
“I wish you all the best,” he said, his voice hoarse.
Grace gave a slight nod and walked away.
Hades took a deep breath and made his way slowly toward his room. He walked through the empty corridor, looking around. Now two ghost rooms existed in this hall. Why did he have his room set up so far away? How was he going to keep walking past those two doors every day?
Perhaps it was a time for a change. After he confronted the traitor—Ava’s killer—he could just take his belongings and leave. The rest of his men would be free to follow Grace or join any other group. He needn’t be responsible for them anymore. He could just roam the earth all by himself, like in those romantic tales Eloise liked to read.
Hades stopped before her door.No. He wouldn’t be able to pass her door every day without his heart constricting and his breath catching. Perhaps he needn’t pass it at all.
He opened the door and stepped inside.
Perhaps he could just stay here, where her presence could still be felt, and her scent still lingered on the pillow.
Hades walked farther into the room. The tray of food still sat on her bedside table. She hadn’t even finished her meal. Something strange caught his eye, and he came closer to the tray.
