AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m spun around, dizzy, the breath startled out of me, and just like that, I’m looking up into the furious face of the God of War.
***
When I first came to the Underworld, I got myself caught by Azhrea’s guards in an asinine plot to get smuggled into her fortress. I guess it worked out, ultimately, but it wasn’t my best choice in retrospect. The guards locked me into an honest to gods dungeon. A small, damp, cramped stone room with a pile of hay on the ground, like something out of a Robin Hood movie.
Why even have a dungeon in Hell? I mean: it’s Hell, how much worse could it get?
I kind of expect similar treatment when Ares drags me out of the room that’s holding Janie’s spirit. But he leads me to what looks like a bedroom, not a cell.
I mean it’s still creepy and uncomfortable, with the weird porous rock walls, and no window, with the only light coming from the scarlet flames flickering up by the ceiling, but it isn’t a gross dirty hole in the ground. It also isn’t a shallow grave, so that’s definitely a plus.
Ares doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to make with the murdering part. Oh, he’s pissed, that much is obvious, with the way he’s pacing back and forth across the room. I’d have to shove past him to get to the door, and part of me really wants to try.
I was soclose! Janie was right there, in front of me, and I’m so furious and frustrated, I could cry. But Ares would think I was crying because I was afraid of him, and I’ll never give him that kind of satisfaction.
I managed to put up one hell of a fight, at least, as he dragged me through the halls to this room. I was never going to be able to match him, or even Adonis, with a sword. But I was pissed, and terrified, and so completely done with everything, and that combination seemed to have set off some kind of chemical reaction in my brain, because I turned into a one-woman street brawl.
I scratched, kicked, and flailed: anything to get out of that implacable grip that dragged me away from my sister. At one point, I even dropped down andbithis hand, trying to get him to turn me loose. Nothing phased Ares, who was in armor, after all, thought the bite had made him grunt. But then he just picked me up and dumped me through the door, and slammed the door behind the two of us and now he’s pacing.
My chest heaves from the one-sided battle. My hair is tangled in my face. That weird chemical reaction must still be going on, because I have to hold myself back from flying at him and trying to plant my fist right on the end of that perfect blade of a nose.
I do hold back though, partially because I don’t think attacking him would do anything. He barely noticed my struggling on the trip here. I’m not exactly a small woman, but the top of my head doesn’t come up to Ares’s nose. Besides that, he’s justbig. Some of the breadth of those shoulders is armor, sure, but the rest is just him. His biceps are as thick around as my thigh.
The other reason I’m not attacking him at the moment is that he doesn’t seem interested in killing me—at least, not immediately. I don’t want to risk changing his mind. I’ve still got time, I hope. As long as I’m alive, there’s a chance I can escape.
For the first time since he dragged me out of Janie’s prison, Ares turns and looks at me. He rakes a hand back through his dark hair and growls. “I cannot believe I chased that thing all the way across my own realm. How were you able to create it?”
So, my decoy did its job. I wish it could have held out just a little bit longer, but it did better than I expected. Hades was right, it did come in handy. I’m not about to tell Ares who gave it to me. Not that selling out Hades would cause him anything more than inconvenience, but he did me a favor, and I won’t rat him out.
Of course, he did me the favor, hoping I’d sleep with him. Maybe I should rat him out. But only when I think it might actually benefit me. I’ll have to get the timing right.
Instead of speaking, I cross my arms over my chest and glare at Ares.
The corner of his mouth jerks up for a second, like he’s fighting a smile. Then his brows snap down into a scowl, and the hint of anything softer is gone.
“You do realize I can make you tell me?” His voice is low and quiet, almost pleasant. Somehow, it’s more threatening than when he’s growling and snapping.
I tilt my jaw up a little higher, refusing to let him see my hands tremble. “So, what if you can? The point is the decoy worked.”
“Where did it come from?”
I glare harder. “Why do you need to know where it came from? What does it even matter?”
We glare at each other in silence for a second before Ares jerks his head away. “You’re right,” he says, sounding weirdly close to regretful. “It doesn’t matter.”
Okay, why does that sound ominous for some reason? Something tells me we aren’t talking about my little chess piece play any longer.
“Can’t you just let my sister go?” The question bursts out of me before I really consciously decide to ask it. “She isn’t part of any of this—and we both know you took her by accident. Just let her go.”
I’m not technically part of this, either, but I’m blood related to Aphrodite. Like I said, that kind of stuff matters to magic and the old ways.
I dare a step forward, my hands out at my sides. “Let me take her home. She deserves to live her life, not to get caught up in God fights.”
“And if I allowed you to return her?” He doesn’t look like he’s considering it—more like he’s just curious.
I swallow hard. “Once she’s safe, I’ll come back.” It’s a reckless promise, but I actually mean it. What happened to Ares isn’t fair. Leaving him here doesn’t sit right with me. “Maybe together we can figure something out. Maybe I can help you.”
Ares’s mouth twists, like he’s just bit into a lemon. “I’ve seen what people like you and your mother think of their promises.”
