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“Drake, what else can I do?” I questioned around a sob.
“And what if you’re wrong? What if sacrifice was never the right choice? What if instead you were supposed to kill someone else? It could all be wrong and your death would be for nothing.”
“Well there’s one way to figure out what’s going on,” I said. Moving away from him, I went to the sink and washed my hands, then rinsed out my mouth.
He followed as I walked to the elevator, not even bothering to look at the common room and offer any explanations. His protests fell on deaf ears.
Kol shoved his way in next to me, followed by Monty, then Roman, then Drake. Apparently I wasn’t going alone. Hell, I wasn’t even sure where Roman had come from, but the commotion was likely enough to wake the dead.
“Where are we going?” Roman asked. His voice was still rough with sleep.
“The courtyard. It’s time to have a conversation with Hel.”
Monty let out a cold chuckle, but neither him nor Kol argued. In fact, Kol took my hand in his. I think it was hard for him to face Hel, to know he’d dedicated his life and given years to stone for her, just to be betrayed.
It was strange holding hands with somebody that had long claws but I intertwined my fingers with his regardless, soaking in his strength, because I knew there was no turning back from this point forward. Whatever Hel said would solidify the battle to come.
“Any luck finding the warden?” Drake asked.
“The warden?” I questioned. At the mention of his name, there was a foggy memory in my brain but I couldn’t manifest it completely.
“Somebody drank too much and forgot,” Drake teased but it held no humor. “The warden tried to attack you and Layne in the basement. Kol saved you guys.”
“Holy shit.” I grimaced as the memory finally popped in my head. “What a fucking twat.”
“Agreed,” Roman said with a chuckle. The fact we could find humor in a dark situation spoke a little too loudly about the trauma we’d all endured.
The elevator door opened and we walked out, stopping abruptly as Kol spread his wings, blocking the rest of us from whatever was on the other side.
The warden spoke. “Hel would like an audience with Harlow, alone.”
“You see,” I said, stepping around my gargoyle, though he put a hand on my shoulder to keep me from going after the warden. “I no longer give a single fuck about what Hel wants from me. If she wants to see me, she sees us all.”
He smirked at that and there was a promise of pain in his voice. I should have stopped him right then, refused to go altogether. But I knew it was useless to turn her down. She didn’t take no for an answer.
“As you wish.” The world faded and when it came back into focus, we were standing in the throne room. This time I could feel the smooth stone floor under my feet and an icy chill in the air. My body shivered uncontrollably against it, and Kol wrapped his wings around me.
“Holy fucking shit,” Roman breathed out. “Hiro is going to freak out when he reads about this.”
Heels clicking on the floor drew our attention to Hel as she stood and took a few steps away from her imperious throne.
“I knew you wouldn’t come alone,” she said. “It seems you don’t trust me anymore, Harlow, which hurts, seeing as how I chose you.”
My laugh was bitter. “Chose me for what? A life of suffering? I don’t care what you think you’ve done for me in my life, because it was literal hell on Earth until I came to Dark Haven and I refuse to have it ripped away from me now.” We were about to go around in circles again, her demanding and me refusing. The whole dance was getting really fucking old.
“So I see we’re still stubborn.” She sighed as if I were exasperating. “I’ve also heard that a seer of mine has decided to have another vision. Have you stopped giving her medicine, Drake?” There was so much in that statement she wasn’t saying and the implications had my mouth dropping open in horror. Drake lurched forward but Monty pulled him back.
“Don’t be stupid, half breed,” he hissed.
“You knew what my mother was? You drugged her and hid her away in that place?” he seethed. I’d never seen my half demon angrier, his demon form taking over as fire burned in his hands.
“Your mother was important to me,” she argued, putting a hand to her chest like she was genuinely hurt by his accusations. “You see, I was in need of a seer and after I found her, she gave me a prophecy. Which I’m currently watching unfold.” She glanced pointedly at me as if we were too stupid to keep up with what she was saying. “I was afraid I might need her again and so I tucked her away. But it was too late, she had fallen for her bodyguard, the one I had so kindly sent to protect her. She was so deeply in love with him it clouded the visions. So I did the only thing I could do, gave her medicine and formed Dark Haven to be a safe little sanctuary until I needed her again.”
“Safe little sanctuary?” I questioned. “You gave her medicine she didn’t even need, and you thought that was okay?”
“Oh, she needed it. I don’t know why you humans always jump to accuse me of giving you mental health issues. You guys have those all on your own. I just use your viable minds to my advantage.”
“That’s even more fucked up!” I yelled, throwing my hands up. She was like a petulant child, refusing to listen to reason or think past herself.
